Moss Filled Urns

What to do when your summer plants are dying and the urns are starting to look awful?  Well, sometimes I love putting fall plants in the Urn, like mums or a mixture of cabbages.  The trouble is they dye so darn fast I really don't like spending the money and have to change them out in a month or less.  These days most of use are looking for something that stays looking nice for awhile and doesn't dye within one month...who has time.  So here is something that has worked for me and I'm not running to the store to change it out every month.

Here is one of Urns

You can use a roll of moss, but my personal opinion is to find individual bags of moss, because you get more texture.

Use foam balls in the Urn and a glue gun to get the height you want.

Now you can see the texture of the moss I used.  It looks much better.

Here is one I made before moving 2 years ago and you can't tell its 2 years old.

This is another option for inside an urn

See the different heights you can go!

Easter Egg Topiaries

I got an email today from a follower who was interested in making the Egg Topiary's I had posted on the blog sometime ago.  I think with moving I have lost all of the "How to" direction pictures, but found pictures of the actual Topiary's in some of my picture files.  I hope seeing the picture's help with anyone wanting to make them.  They are great to have around at Easter and I have used them for years now.   I have to say going thru the pictures makes me miss Minnesota even more.  Have a great day!

 Directions:

Find bases you like

Add a foam cylinder (purchased at Craft Store)

Use hot glue gun to glue into place

Find packages of different sized plastic eggs and feathers from (Craft Store)

Hot glue the Eggs on then Hot glue the feathers on in between the spaces !

There you have it!

As Easy As (Salt and Pepper)...Ha, Ha, Ha

 

   

Kitchen Makeover for $500.00

Taking a traditional OAK kitchen and making it AMAZING for a fraction of the cost!  I used General Finishes Java Stain for this project!  This project is NOT for someone without patients.  It's a huge job but really should make the house worth more money!

The Traditional Oak Kitchen, with mauve ceilings, walls and floors!

Another angle!

This is from the sitting area!

1st. thing I did was take the cabinets off of the wall and raise them to a height that was visually appealing!  I raised them 4 inches which also helped with allowing my appliances to sit under the cabinets (The Vita-mix)!

Another Angle!

Next, I added the first coat of stain.  I used General Finishes Java Gel Stain.  I used 3 coats of stain and 2 coats of Polyurethane.

The Stain I used!

Next, I went to work building the moldings for the top of the cabinets.

Another view!

I measured and made sure everything was level!

Here is a quick picture to show the steps!

Then I kept on staining!  This has two coats of stain and is always NOT very pretty at this stage.  I initially remember freaking out but decided to go do some YOGA to relax:)  After the 3rd coat is applied it totally looks better.

Then 2 coats of Poly and you are done.  I recommend using 3 coats of poly on the doors, this just makes it more durable.

I kept doors off of one section because I like the open cabinetry look!

Some Before and After shots!

Some Before and After Shots

Before & After

I'm SO very pleased with the way this kitchen turned out and I love the durably of keeping the Oak Cabinets and just Up-cycling them

Another view from the sitting area off of the kitchen.

Here is another angle.  You can see I also built an Herb Magnet Board on the side to open some counter space.  I think that was my favorite part.  I LOVE organization.  I hope this helps someone get some ideas and update.

Entryway Beauty

When walking into any house I feel like you should have a bit of WOW factor.  By that I mean something needs to grab your attention and make you say..."WOW", even is its under your breath.  For this house and because of the high ceilings I wanted your eyes to travel up so I went with a light fixture!  It grabs your attention and makes you say "WOW"...under your breath.

Before...Mauve walls, oak beams, and brass light fixture.  After...Beige walls, java beams, and Restoration Hardware light fixture (My Splurge)!

In the evening it just glows!