VALENTINE HOME DECOR TOUR {2013}

Here's to posting my holiday ideas BEFORE the actual holiday! I'm so proud of me.

I have never been a fan of the tacky, commercial-looking Valentine decorations overpowered with kissy lips, naked angels, red foil, and pink, pink, pink! (Bah, humbug, right?) Well, I took an unconventional wintry woods approach instead. Most of the Valentine touches are subtle. 

I reused the felt garland I made for Christmas (FYI: Easy as pie to make. I ordered the 2CM wool felt balls from an etsy shop and then strung them with needle and string. You can make your own felt balls by following tutorials like this one.) 

Then I made a doily garland by sandwiching the two halves of a folded doily on either side of string. It is held together with a little white glue. This frilled things up enough to look Valentine-y without overdoing it. 

Andrew helped me cut a dead Aspen tree into several skinny stumps while we were out chopping a Christmas tree. I knew I wanted to use them for some kind of display. I got the idea to make them work for February by adding the carved letters. Another subtle touch.

I kept the homemade wreath I used in December, because it continued the woodsy feel. 

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I love this print. Not only is it pretty and matches my felt garland, but it sums up my feelings for Andrew. Sometimes I feel so boring and serious. Andrew is the funny, lighthearted, playful one...the source of  the color in my life. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the entire page to fit in the frame I had on hand. So I folded the bottom line out...hoping it still made sense. Good enough. 

Andrew thinks the shelves look like Easter...which works for me. That just means I can leave this up for several months...maybe with just a different framed print. Less work!

As for the mantel in the great room, I was never fully satisfied with how this turned out, but I wanted to show off my homemade garland. 

The framed print can be snagged for free at sissyprint.blogspot.com. I made a tiny 8x10 look a little more imposing in a large framed mat. 

I received this Hyacinth for Christmas from grandma.  It bloomed just in time to decorate for love month. Doesn't it look unreal? Hopefully, it sticks around a little longer. 

I made the bunting over a few evenings sitting in front of Netflix. My inspiration came from here. I cut pages out of a vintage, thrift store book with a razor blade--sinful, I know. Then I used a template printed from the Internet to cut out hearts from fabric scraps. 

I tried double stick tape with no success. Glue left ugly splotches behind the fabric. So I sewed the things on with a needle and thread and handful of mismatched buttons. 

They looked a bit plain...so I added a washi tape touch across the top. 

Then I strung all the flags together with needle and string. Seriously, easy. 

Have a happy Valentine's Day, folks. 

Feeling the Love,

Rachel

TELLESTRATIONS {favorite family game}

Every year on New Year's Eve, we unwrap a new family game to play together. This year's game was so fun, I wanted to share. Pass on the love.

You know that telephone game where you whisper something from person to person to see how far the original message is distorted by the end? This is the same thing, but with pictures. 

Telephone + Pictionary = Telestrations.

To begin, the timer is set and we draw the word from our individual cards. Then we pass our notebooks, and the next person has to write the word they think was illustrated. Then it is passed again and the next person draws a picture from the new word. After everyone has had a turn with each notebook, we share. 

This is where the real fun starts. Sometimes, the original word gets reeeally far off track. And then we laugh and laugh until we're in pain. 

It's great fun.

Here's an example. 

My assigned word was "dust bunny." So I drew a french maid's skirt and a hand holding a feather duster + a cute bunny. Easy enough, right? 

Well. My supposed art skills were no match for Becca's unique way of thinking.

Apparently, my feather duster looked more like a flaming torch...really throwing off my little sis. 

So then my sweet mother drew a picture of a demonic man with a poor flaming rabbit. 

At least Andrew made an intelligent guess (as opposed to flaming rabbit???). 

When my notebook made full circle, the word was so different from my original word that it didn't even occur to me that it was mine. So I continued the chain. A Roman + a candle. Again, easy enough, right?

But no. My poor sister saw my picture and saw a warrior flame. It almost makes sense. 

Except for not at all.

My mom, in turn, drew Becca's "warrior flame." 

Please note the handlebar mustache.

And then poor, confused Andrew did the best he could with what he was given. 

So there you have it. My "dust bunny" traveled through all the rounds eventually transforming into a "candle ninja." My stomach muscles hurt the next day. 

Check it out if you're in the market for great game. Though I have to say, a ditsy player or two can make all the difference on this game's entertainment value. 

CHRISTMAS HOME DECOR TOUR 2012

No one is going to care about this post for another ten months. But here goes our holiday decor tour anyway. It was so fun to decorate a brand new house!

This is the shelf Andrew recently built for the entry way. It turned out exactly like I pictured in my head, and my man is a stud. Stockings and a wreath hung from the hooks. 

The framed Joy to the World printable was free from Angela Hardison's lovely blog. 

I framed last year's Christmas card.

I printed this wintery mason jar print from TWIGGSstudios.com.

Then cuttings from out Christmas tree were stuck between the frames. 

In the great room, I gussied up the mantel. Keeping the Proclamation print, I added our stocking holders, Christmas tree cuttings, and a cozy felt garland I made.

On the other end, I brought nature indoors and decorated branches with cheap-o ornaments rolled in glitter or fake snow.

I put small holiday touches randomly throughout the built-ins...

...Most of which I gathered for pennies from thrift stores. 

I already talked about our Christmas tree in greater detail here. 

Christmas cards from friends and family ended up strung across windows like this one. 

In the dining room, I had a family heirloom theme going on. Above the hutch I framed an old childhood picture of my mom and a photo of great grandparents. 

The back of the hutch got a touch of wintery glam with wrapping paper. 

I used double stick tape to attach the paper and then cleaned up the look with washi tape along the edges.

The chandelier was even festive with dollar store greenery, ribbon, and ornaments from my grandmother. 

And finally, the shelves. The frame with more old family photos was moved here from the mantel. Then I covered the tacky, shiny green foil around the poinsettias with burlap scraps already on hand. The Believe sign was a gift from a student, the mini sled was a thrift store find, and the wreath I made with moss and a grapevine form. Super simple. 

Well, a little overdue, but there it is. Our home at Christmas. 

TURKEY "DRESSING" {November Kid's Craft}

As a testament to how far behind I am, here is my Thanksgiving craft post. 

I copy a basic turkey outline (that I found in an old "The Mailbox" magazine) on brown construction paper, and then my kids and I have a discussion about the double meaning of "dressing a turkey". Then they are set free to decorate their turkeys however they please using scraps I've collected. 

This is one of my favorite projects of the year. Sometimes, the rows of identical kids' crafts hanging in the hallway can be depressing. But this project allows for individuality and true creativity...and the kids blow me away with how dang creative they can be. 

Here are a few of my favorites:

Please note the karate uniform, belt, Asian symbol.

The eye patch.

The dark mask and super hero cape.

Some even got together and made turkeys to go together. I love her pom poms and his shoulder pads and helmet...

Don't miss the stubble on the robber's chin and the bag of stolen goods slung over his shoulder. The policeman has a nightstick and a badge. 

Someone was still stuck on Halloween. The little vampire suit, red cape, and special hair do just kill me. 

This turkey's flowered hat and pretty parasol accessorize her beautiful summer dress.

The jeans and the hunting cap are perfect. 

Lady in pink.

And this turkey...I'm not sure. I stared at it for a long time trying to figure it out. Curly hair...sweat band...short shorts...gaudy sparkles...

The best conclusion I could come to was a Richard Simmons turkey...?? Ha!

Sorry about the lousy blurry pictures taken in our dark hallway. Hopefully, this still gives you some fun ideas for next year!

WHILE I WAS OUT...

INSTAGRAM
I have become drawn in by this fun, free app. I think it is the culprit behind my long absence from blogging. It fills a void that blogging usually satisfies by capturing moments and documenting a visual journal of sorts...but in an instantaneous, effortless way. This was too enticing to resist during the holidays especially. 

Just in case life gets crazy again, my blogging slacks off, and you'd like to stay updated on our daily happenings (which are fascinating, I'm sure), my Instagram username is rachelashmore. My account is private to those who I have not approved to be my followers, but that is to keep away creepos from knowing where I am and what I'm doing at any given moment. Just find my profile and request to follow my account. As long as you're not a creepo...it's cool.

SUGAR UPDATE.
I planned to include a little update on how my sugar-less diet is going. But as I typed, it became clear I need to save it for its own post. There was too much to say. Until then, suffice it to say,  I am still avoiding the stuff, I feel great, and I have learned more about the reasons behind my issues which in turn has shown me another favorite food that should also, sadly enough, be cut out of my diet.

PRAYER
A recent difficult experience taught me some interesting aspects of prayer. First of all, if I don't tell anyone that I need help, I am actually hindering God's ability to answer my prayers for strength or comfort or whatever. Isn't it through other people that God usually answers our prayers? Being a private, independent person in general, I think this was an important lesson for me to learn.

It was only hours after I was forced to tell coworkers, neighbors, or church members about what we were going through that I was keenly aware not only of my sudden increased strength but of the fact that it was a result of prayers on my behalf. This knowledge came clearly and distinctly, and glowed brightly in my heart making me--to my great annoyance--emotional for days. I suddenly had a different perspective on how faith and prayers can be applied to help others--and myself--in a very real way. Prayer is powerful. It works. And our Father in Heaven wants us to use it to serve and help our brothers and sisters.

DOTERRA ESSENTIAL OILS.
Has anyone else out there discovered the magic of these babies? I'm obsessed. They are amazing, and it boggles my mind that more people/medical professionals aren't aware of all they are capable of. Andrew and I use them daily for ailments such as infections, headaches, warts, sore throats, restless leg syndrome, insomnia, snoring (you better believe that's Andrew...not me), congestion, digestive issues, acne, allergies, mood swings, or pain of any kind.

Anytime someone around me complains of an ailment, I can immediately come up with in my mind, an oil that would help. But the few times I've actually opened my mouth to share the idea, I only come across as a silly-naturalist-hippie-nut. I'm sharing on the blog, because I can't see your frozen phony smiles and skeptical expressions from here. Expect more to come in the future. You've been warned.

CC
After an absence of several months, our kitty sauntered into the house like no big deal. He hung around long enough to get scratched behind the ears and show off his doubled-in-size mid section before slinking out the back door not to be seen again. It seems CC has abandoned us for a new family. This arrangement seems to suit us all just fine. And at least I can take comfort in the knowledge that he's getting fed reeeally well.

OMEN
So we've all heard about the bad luck to follow a black cat crossing our path, right? But does it mean anything special if a WHITE cat crosses your path? How about an entire herd of white cats?

Well actually a group of cats isn't called a herd. It's a clowder. I looked it up just now because herd sounded weird.

Driving down the highway to work, I suddenly had to brake hard for a clowder of kitties. A mom and six kittens. All pure white and running to an empty field across the street. The last little kitten was a feisty one. Stopping in the middle of the road, it stood fiercely facing me in the cutest, little battle stance I've ever seen. After all if its siblings were safely across it disappeared behind them into the long grasses.

There you have it. My pointless story...except to inform you that it's going to be an awesome-filled, lucky year. It's all very logical. White is an antonyms for black. Black is unlucky. So obviously, I'm going to have the opposite of horrible misfortune. Bring on 2013!

ANOTHER POINTLESS STORY
Each year, my family plays a Turkey Day football game. I participate to feel involved...however, I use the word "participate" very loosely. Participating for me usually entails running back and forth pointlessly and receiving maybe three pitty passes. I still have fun though. My sister on the other hand, has rebelled against the tradition entirely, and refuses to play. She prefers not to be pitied.

This year, my cousin got a helmet camera for the quarter back to wear, which allowed for some sweet playback footage. When the video was posted on social media, I anxiously pulled it up. At the end, I sat in shame at one awful, glaringly obvious fact: 

I am very, very, very sissy. 

Not having really considered myself to be a cream puff before, all that twinkle-toed running and hand flapping was hard to watch. Maybe my sister's onto something.

RON WEASLEY PILLOW

This was my Christmas present to The Beck. My sister is in love with the Ron Weasley character. I thought I would share the idea for any other Harry Potter fans out there. 

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When I saw her pin a similar pillow of him on her Pinterest wish list board, I figured it would be easy enough for me to piece together. 

All the fabric came from Wal-Mart clearance bins, my own scrap collection, and a decorative pillow that doesn't match my house anymore. I made the scarf out of soft fleece to give it texture and help it stand out from the rest of the pillow. 

It took me over an hour to make the one pillow, but I imagine it would be a lot faster for those who actually know their way around a sewing machine. I'm still learning.