DIY Square Boxwood Wreath with Burlap Bow

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 I'm ending my Holiday DIY Week with my very favorite project to date!  A square boxwood wreath with burlap bow!  Love, love, love this!

 

Square boxwood wreaths are everywhere this holiday season, but the price tags are very high on these beauties!  I was determined to have one myself, but didn't want to pay the $70 (and up) price!

My Supplies:
The square frame came from Goodwill. It originally framed an interesting print, but I just wanted it for its square shape.  The frame was 18" on each side.  The spray paint is Krylon's "Seaweed". I also needed some green floral wire and four pieces of boxwood garland (found at JoAnn).

First I removed the print and glass from the frame and spray painted it.  I needed it to be green so that the frame wouldn't show through the garland.

Next, I attached my first piece of garland to the frame using the green floral wire.  I simply wrapped the garland around (and around, and around...) the frame.  One piece of garland covered about 18" of frame.  I repeated this process until the whole frame was covered!

There!  Beautiful, no?

I found some nice, thick rolls of burlap at Hobby Lobby for half price!  $2.50 a roll!  Whoot!

I used this tutorial to make the bow and attached it to the wreath using more floral wire.

 

 

The finished product looks great in my holiday vignette! :)

For a tutorial on how to make the burlap JOY banner, click here.

 Thanks for joining me this week for all of the fun DIY projects!  I hope one or two of them inspired you to grab your glue gun and get busy!
 

DIY Week: Yarn and Craft Ball Acorns

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Can it really be Thursday already?  Holiday DIY Week is flying!

 

Today's project started last week when we were out for a walk.  I saw several acorn tops laying on the ground, so I snatched them up!  I've seen lots of acorn top crafts on Pinterest, so I knew I'd use these little guys some how.

 

 

I settled on two easy acorn top crafts.  The first type involved hot gluing the acorn top onto some sparkly little craft balls that I found at Meijer,

 

The second type involved making a yarn ball. Making a yarn ball is very easy!  Just knot one end of a 16" piece of yarn several times, then wrap the yarn around the knotted end over and over and over again.  Secure with hot glue.  Top with acorn topper!

 

I used a more wintery color palate, but you could do some pretty bright colors too!  I actually need to go on another walk and try to find some more acorn tops so that I can fill this little jar up!

 

Have a good day! :)

 



DIY Week: Painted Pine Cones

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Are you ready for another easy holiday DIY project?

How about some gorgeous painted pine cones to dress up your holiday dinner table?  I love this little project for many reasons, but the versatility of the pine cones tops the list!  You could use them as place card holders:

Or in a centerpiece:

I added a few silver ornaments to get a little break in the pine cone action.

This project is just as easy as it looks!  I used some Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Acrylic Craft Paint in "Pool" and "Sterling" and a little paint brush to dress these pine cones up.  I simply dabbed a little paint on the tip of each pine cone scale (I googled that, it's really what they're called).

I'm thinking about painting some more little pine cones for Miss L's room...do you think hot pink and neon green would be too much? :)

 

Have a great Wednesday!



DIY Week: 20 Minute Burlap Banner

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Holiday DIY Week continues today!

 

Since we're in a new house, I wanted to start fresh with some new decor.  I've debated between going for a more glam and glittery holiday look, or a natural and simple approach.  I think I'm going to settle somewhere in between with lots of burlap, boxwood, red ornaments, and milk glass.  I should be able to easily tie in some of my old favorite decorations with the new decor.

Here is my next DIY holiday project: a cute burlap banner made in 20 minutes!

 

1.  In the true DIY spirit lazy approach, I bought these burlap pennants pre-cut at Meijer.  They also have pre-cut triangles. 
2.  Using Microsoft Word, I printed out JOY in bold print.  I used Times New Roman, font size 250.
3.  I cut out the letters and centered them on the pennants.
4.  Using a ball point pen I traced the letters onto the pennants.
5.  There, done tracing!  The pen easily wrote on the burlap.
6.  Using a sharpie marker, I colored in the letters.

Yup, it was that easy!

Here is the finished product:

 

 

Imagine this mirror in the middle of a beautiful holiday display...I think it will be perfect! :)

I originally found the idea for a banner like this one at Proverbs 31 Girl.

Have a great Tuesday!

DIY Week: Front Door Holiday Decor

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 Happy Monday to you!  I'm deeming this week "DIY Week" on House by Hoff!  Each day I'll be bringing you a DIY holiday project! 

Since the longest painting project ever painting project is still going on in my house, I can't really decorate for the holidays yet.  Boooooo!  Oh well!  I'm hoping that by the end of the week all of the painting will be done and I can put up my tree, decorate my mantel, add some wreaths here, a nativity scene there, etc., etc.

To scratch my Christmas itch, (did that sound weird to anyone else?) I decorated my front door yesterday.  I LOVE it when I manage to put together things I already have to make a great new piece.  It is very exciting...very. exciting. people.

Here are the ingredients to my Christmas front door wreath:

I purchased the red ornaments and the "H" stocking charm at Wal-Mart a few weeks ago.  (Am I the only one that finds myself roaming the Wal-Mart holiday section knowing neither how I got there or how long I've been there?)  I snagged this pine cone wreath from my mom's garage sale pile over the summer.  She was trying to decide whether to throw it away or try to sell it, so I generously took it off her hands!

Using a glue gun, I managed to create this:

Lovely, right?  But I wasn't done there.  I have seen some cute ideas on Pinterest lately of framed holiday wreaths and ornaments.  So, I grabbed a frame that I had left over from another project and tied my wreath onto it using some striped red and white ribbon.  I hung my finished product on the door.

Tada!  I love how this turned out! 

As I was decorating the front door, Miss L. was offering some moral support from inside the house.  You can see that her dad was trying to get her to watch Finding Nemo instead of banging on the window and waving at me, but you can't keep that girl from her Momma. :)

Finally, I am very excited (this would be an understatement) to be guest posting at Migonis Home later today!  The topic?  Tips for accessorizing your home!  Be sure to check it out!

Have a great day!

 

Charlotte's Sweet Nursery

Pin It We recently visited a very good (and longtime) friend of mine who just had a baby!  We were very excited to meet Charlotte, and when I saw her gorgeous nursery, I knew I wanted to snap some pictures and share it with you!

Doesn't this beautiful wallpaper make a perfect backdrop for her crib?  The wallpaper is by Design By Colors.  The adorable polka dot bedding is PBK.  The crib is Babies 'R Us.

This vinyl decal was custom made, but it was modeled after one they saw in the PBK catalog.  Dresser is from Babies 'R Us

This painting was done by a friend of the family.  What a wonderful keepsake!

 

Charlotte's Daddy painted the little details on these hooks! 



My favorite part of the room?  The little reading nook!  Can't you just see her relaxing on that sheep and flipping through a book? Both the sheep and the shelves are PBK.

Have a good day! :)

Painting Our Tired Tiles

Pin It The painting continues today!  Everything is going great, but it is taking longer than expected.  The hardest part is keeping Miss L and our dog out of the painter's way.  We end up holed up in the master bedroom, which, I think I'm speaking for the three of us here, gets booooring.  I think we're going to head up to one of my favorite antiquing towns in Michigan today to busy ourselves (not the dog, she's staying here).

I want to share one of the major changes that this painting project is bringing; the mantel and tile surround!  We wanted to paint all of the woodwork in the house white, so, obviously, the mantel was going to change.  After discussing it with the painter, it was decided that we would also go ahead and paint the rather dingy and tired tiles as well.  I am very pleased with this decision, and I think you'll agree it is a change for the better!



 

And after:

 

Ooooh!  Do yo love?  Doesn't it look so much cleaner and better?  It looks a little stark now, but that's because the walls aren't painted yet.  Just imagine that contrast when they are!  Our painter simply sanded the tile and then primed, caulked, and painted it just like the trim.  We are using Benjamin Moore's "White Dove" on our trim and doors.  The walls will be Benjamin Moore's "Vapor Trails".

 

 

I hope you have a good day!  Say a little prayer for me as I drag my toddler out of the house for a long day of antiquing....

 



Being Impatient + Hiding Clutter With Style!

Pin It The painting is coming right along!  I tend to be extremely impatient when it comes to getting my house to my liking. (You wouldn't believe that, would you?)  So, of course, I wish it was going faster, but I have to be patient!

We rarely hire people to come in and do a project for us, especially painting projects!  At our old house, in Indianapolis, we painted the entire interior including all trim, cabinets, walls, the fireplace, and even the kitchen floor.  Yes,  The kitchen floor!  It was a wood floor, and we painted a black and white checkerboard pattern on it.  It was gorgeous (and cheap)!  We also painted the entire exterior including siding and trim.  I was so impatient that I painted the entire back of the house by myself while Jared was on a business trip.  It's not easy being this impatient!  It's certainly not one of my finer traits!  My poor hubby!

Anyways, let me show and tell you about a completed project!  Remember my laundry room re-do?  Well, we still had to make a curtain to hang under the counter top to hide a bunch of clutter.  My mother, who is kind enough to sew everything for me because I don't know how, made one for me!  Thanks Mom!

We used a tension rod to hold the curtain up.  We created three panels, so that I could easily access all of the crap essential items I have shoved put under this curtain.  We have Ellie's kennel, three laundry baskets, Jared's suitcase, and a drying rack under there!  Impressive!

I got this fabric at JoAnn Fabric.  My mom swears she sees a green in it?!?  I am insulted by this, and see no green.  It is gray. Period.  She and I see colors differently.  We have one color that she swears is green, and I swear is blue.  It is a color that I use a lot in my decorating, so when she says, "Oh, what a pretty green chair," it drives me nuts!  Blue!  It's a blue chair!  We both agree to disagree, and think that our eyes see things differently. :)

Have a good day!

Let's Get it Started!!!!!

Pin It Project: Paint the House is beginning around here!  I'm so excited, but, as you probably know, it gets ugly before  it gets pretty.  This is what my house looks like today:

Yikes!  Miss L and I have been secluded in our master bedroom since the painter arrived this morning.  Yes, we've hired a painter to do the job.  We have a lot of painting experience, but with a baby to take care of I just don't have the time to paint trim and walls.

Today begins phase one of I'm not sure how many phases.  We're painting all of the walls and trim in the entry way, the living room, and the kitchen.  Kitchen cabinets will be painted in the spring since our painter wants to spray them outside.

Miss L and I need to get out of the house as much as possible these next few days, so postings may be more sparse than usual.

Have a good day! :)

Makin' One Look Good!!!!

Pin It Miss L's "Vintage Cupcake" themed party couldn't have been sweeter!  The party was a total success!  It's easy for me to get caught up in all of the little details that have to be perfect, but I reminded myself to just stop and enjoy my little girl's big day.  I swallowed one  big lump while we were singing happy birthday, but other than that kept it together!

Ok, now to those decorations!  Let's start with the centerpiece of the party (besides the birthday girl herself, of course) the cupcake table:

The goal was to tie together cupcakes with vintage pieces.  The vintage tablecloth and my milk glass collection were on full display.  I found this beautiful tablecloth in an antique store in Allen, MI this summer.  It inspired the pink/blue color scheme and really tied everything together.  I think it's a great keepsake that I'll save for Miss L.

I actually turned a small footed milk glass bowl upside down to create this pedestal for the birthday girl's special cupcake.  To read more about the cupcake toppers and the blinged out 1, click here.

 

 

This central arrangement was perfection!  To read more about my tissue paper flower arrangements, click here.  To read about using photography as party decor, click here.  

 

I made the cupcakes from scratch from a box.  and decorated them the day before the party.

 



These food cards were made out of simple scrapbook paper and a paper punch that creates the label's shape.  I actually trimmed the tiny cupcakes from one of the treat bags that I didn't use!  Food cards are an easy way to add more detail and color to a food table.  It's one of those extra details that puts a dot on the i or a cross on the t. :)



 



The confetti was created using a hydrangea paper punch and pink sequins.  Easy, fast, cheap, yet big visual impact!

 

 

Moving on to some other focal points:

 

A sweet welcome for our guests hung on the front door!  This was actually an ornately framed mirror that I found at Hobby Lobby last year.  I spray painted the frame white and the back of the mirror's surface with chalkboard paint.  I could still turn it around, and it could be a mirror again! 

 

 

The photo table was a hit!  Our family and friends enjoyed seeing and remembering how much Miss L has changed in one short year!  For my post on making a yarn wrapped birthday wreath, click here. 

 

More milk glass, more tissue paper flowers, more cupcakes!  The balloons tested my resourcefulness and patience when they began to run out of helium right before the party! Nooooo!!!  My solution?  Using some masking tape to tape them to the wall.. Balloons; don't you even mess with me.

 

Ok, we'll end this post with some cute action shots from the day:

Hey ya'll, I heard there was a party!  Ummmm, do I have a cupcake on my head?!?  (My mother-in-law found this headband at Macy's.) 

Although blurry, this picture is an instant classic. When this toy started making music, mother and daughter busted out identical dance moves...

Cousins are good for many things, including helping you open presents when you don't understand how to do it.

Darn wind.  This was the best shot we could get. 

Ok, it's time for some shout outs...Thank you to my sister, (pictured above with Miss L), her boyfriend, and my two BFFs for driving all the way from Indianapolis on party day.  Having you all there meant so much. 

 

Thank you to my mom (she would be the one in between these two...haha!) for sewing the table runners, making food, and watching Miss L. the day before the party so that I could get this house together! 

 

Thank you to my mother-in-law for finding the cutest cupcake headband ever, bringing food, and for getting all the dishes cleaned in like 5 minutes flat! 

 

Thank you to my sister-in-law for bringing food and your super-fun kids (and husband)...the party just wouldn't have been a party without you guys! 

We love you all very much and feel lucky that we have you to celebrate with us! 

Whew!  Now I can finally start blogging about something else... :)