Creative Friday #8: Laundry Room Projects

Can you believe it's time for another Creative Friday? Wow, this week has gone by quickly. Welcome to Creative Friday #8!

Today, I am wrapping up the final projects for the laundry room refresh. As you know from my previous post, the laundry room had gotten shabby and cluttered. I've cleaned and repainted and am now in the process of putting it all back together.

I bought an IKEA Trofast to use as a bench in what I've started calling the "Drop Off Zone" - it's the spot a freezer would normally go in and directly across from the washer and dryer. It's where the cat litter box sits - the Trofast is the perfect size to hold the litter box. However, it needed a door to cover half of the front so I could hide the litter box.  I found a cabinet door at my local Habitat ReStore the perfect size (I paid $1 for it - score!).

The bench and door got a couple coats of antique white paint. After it dried, I attached the door with some hinges and now have the perfect spot for the litter box!

For the top of my bench, I needed a cushion. Guess what? A king sized pillow is the perfect size! Using a chevron fabric in a soft green, I made an easy pillow cover. It overlaps in the back so it can be easily taken off to wash or change.

I also placed a hook on the wall opposite the repurposed heart shelf so I could hang my pretty bag Kris from Junk Chic Cottage sent me.

Lastly, I made some art to use with my old window. First, I took photos of my garden bike and the driveway at the farm then using PicMonkey I added text and softened the colors. After saving them to my computer, I printed them out on my home printer, then popped them into some inexpensive black frames I got at Wal-Mart. Now I have some travel-themed art to greet me as I come and go.

Be sure to come back Monday for the final reveal. I adore how fresh and clean my laundry room looks and how well it now functions as an entry.

Choosing A Wedding Venue

As some of you know, we're in the middle of wedding planning, It's been pretty fun watching my daughter and her fiancé go through the process.

 Choosing a wedding venue is usually one of the first things you do. It can be overwhelming narrowing down all the choices out there. You want the perfect spot to create your memories in and WeddingWire can help you with that whether you live near any  New York City wedding venues,  Chicago wedding venues,  Los Angeles wedding venues, or Austin wedding venues.

 WeddingWire.com  has put together "Which Wedding Reception Venue Is Right For You? quiz to help you choose and hopefully make that decision not only easier but also more fun!

Megan and Dylan wanted an outdoor wedding and they chose our farm. That was easy! But then they needed to walk over the property and pick out a spot for the ceremony and the reception. 

ceremony spot

They had to decide if they wanted an open air reception or have a tent, the time of year to have it, how many people they were inviting, etc. 

reception spot - tent going to right of fence with grapevines. It is just up from the art studio

You get the picture. Lots of questions to think about - they help to narrow it all down to what exactly you want. 

If you don't have a ready made spot like Megan and Dylan did, WeddingWire's quiz walks you through some pertinent questions and from there takes you to various venues that suit your preferences. 

I found some beautiful outdoor areas that would work if they weren't getting married at the farm. For Central Texas, Chapel Dulcinea is stunning - it sits on the edge of a cliff with spectacular views; 

source

Gruene Estate has a charming open air chapel with stain glass windows; 

source

then for East Texas (where the farm is),  Castle on the Lake  just looks really cool with a castle and stunning views.

source

Of course, we are fortunate to have a beautiful gem, Sabor a Pasion close to the farm.

source

source

 Chef Simon will be providing the food for the reception and we've reserved the cabins for the wedding party. 

source

And in case of bad weather and we need to move the wedding inside, there's a ballroom. It's always good to have a backup plan when planning an outdoor wedding - removes some of the stress and worry about the weather!

Choosing a venue can be easy and fun when you know what you want. Take WeddingWire's quiz and get started finding the spot of your wedding dreams!

Happy Planning!

Creative Friday #7: How to Hang a Wreath When You Can't Use a Wreath Holder

Welcome to Creative Friday #7!

Today I am showing you not only how to hang a wreath on your door when a wreath hook won't work but a cute bunny wreath as well.

I have this wreath from last year that I made.

But my front door has molding on it which prevents a wreath hook from laying flat. I've tried command hooks which work ok for lighter wreaths but for my Easter/Spring wreath, they just don't hold. So what's a girl to do?

Well, I have an easy solution! But first, I need to make a second wreath. Why, you ask? Hang on, you'll see in a minute!

I gathered my supplies: a thrifted grapevine wreath, flower sprigs from Hobby Lobby, and a wooden bunny plaque from Target's Spot.

I gave the bunny a coat of grey chalk paint followed by a light coat of white. After the paint dried, I gave the bunny a light sanding to distress it a bit.

Then I glued the bunny on the wreath and tucked the flower sprigs around it. Easy!

Next, I took a pretty green ribbon, cut it about 42",

 tied it to the wreath and (here's where I need two wreaths) tied the other end to the first wreath. Next I placed the ribbon over the door, arranging the two wreaths where I wanted them. You can adjust the length of the ribbon if necessary.

Voila! The two wreaths balance each other and the ribbon conforms to the shape of the door, laying flat so that the wreaths hang perfectly!

The new wreath is outside - Hippity hoppity! Spring is here!

I did want this one outside, but last year the birds thought the spanish moss was perfect for their nests  and also pecked at the carrots so it's hanging inside.

Not only do I have a cute bunny wreath outside but as an added bonus, I have a cute wreath hanging inside of my door as well!

Azaleas! Wisteria! A Spring Tour

I'm nursing a hurt back again. Dang, getting older sure sucks. It used to be I could dig in the garden all day and just be a little sore - not this whole back hurting thing. Oh well. I did stop before it was awful but then I went and worked on the studio door, bending over it. I think that's what did it. Sigh.

In spite of that, we had a wonderful weekend. The weather was just gorgeous! My mother-in-law and I headed up to the farm on Thursday. I was able to take care of securing hotel rooms for the wedding and we bought groceries for the weekend. We drove back through some neighborhoods and saw some pretty azaleas blooming in front of this old house:

Love the wisteria "tree" out front:

Then on Friday, Bonnie and I headed to Tyler to go see the azaleas. The Azalea Trail doesn't officially open until this weekend but since everything started blooming early, we knew we'd better get up there to see them before they faded. We walked around a historic neighborhood:

Bonnie capturing the beauty of the azaleas

And we weren't disappointed! Oh my! How beautiful the bushes were.

We even found a home that had a sign saying we could come on in and walk around.
Let me tell you, their yard was magazine worthy!

 Everything was landscaped so beautifully - this was in the front along the driveway:

Even the driveway retaining wall looked beautiful with ferns growing in it:

Back of the house from the pergola at the top of the yard:

All the houses along this creek had pretty stone bridges going across so they could reach the rest of their yards. If you look toward the back along the creek, you can see one.

There were niches with fountains

and statues, pergolas, patios, and loads of plants.

The pergola at the back of the yard, across the creek:

Another view along driveway looking into front yard:

Not only were the azaleas blooming, but the dogwoods and wisteria were also in full bloom:

pink dogwood

 Not a great picture with the power lines but I had to show how the wisteria is all up in the trees:

Then we got back in the car and drove around the rest of the azalea trail. This huge clump of white azaleas caught our attention.

I'm glad we went when we did. The flowers were already starting to fade. Fortunately, there were still plenty to see.

We really enjoyed looking at all the beautiful yards full of flowers. Spring sure delights with all its blooming splendor!

I'm sharing here:
Vintage Charm Party #71