The Monogram of Monograms

If, like me, you love monograms, try to control yourself....because this is the MOTHER of all monograms. (Jenny, I thought of you when I saw this.)

When I ordered my wooden monogram from Southern Proper Monograms, I COULD NOT WAIT to receive it and I was not disappointed. Southern Proper Monograms cuts your personalized monogram from birch wood (mine is the 18-inch size.) It comes to you in the unfinished state, so that you can paint it yourself! I painted my monogram with several thin coats of white spray paint. I tied it to a moss wreath I made and hung it on my front door.

There are so many different ways you can use these monograms, and they have a variety of sizes at very reasonable prices. Southern Living featured Southern Proper Monograms in their December 2010 issue. They used some of the smaller sizes as present toppers as shown below. I LOVE this idea! The 6-inch size is only $10.00....you'll save on the cost of a bow (this IS the bow) and it's part of the gift!

via Domestically Speaking

I will definitely be ordering some more....with the holidays coming up, the decorating possibilities are boundless. (I'm thinking black paint with black glitter hung with orange ribbon for Halloween, red with green polka dot ribbon for Christmas, and I'm all over the present topper idea.)

Now, onto my moss wreath.

I made this wreath from Reindeer Moss I found at The Dollar Store in the floral section, a grapevine wreath from Michaels, and a hot glue gun.

I used loose moss (even though it's more time consuming and a little messy) instead of mesh backed moss because I thought it looked more natural.

I simply glued the moss onto the wreath and tied the monogram on. Easy and makes a personalized statement! I love the contrast of the formal monogram with the informal, natural wreath.

Go on over to Southern Proper Monograms!

Black and White Mudroom

What do you do when you have a collection of mismatched frames?
You break out the paint, that’s what you do. I had this small collection of frames, some that belonged to family and some that I found at ReStore (in Mooresville.)

I took out the glass and painted the backing in black paint. (I actually used Chalkboard Paint, even though I don’t plan to use chalk on it. I just love the finish it has!)

I was tempted to keep the Syroco frames gold, but painting them white just went better with the look that I was going for. I painted each frame white and "antiqued" them. I used a white paint marker to write out the letters to spell our name and hung them above our keys in the mudroom.

It's amazing what a little creative thinking will do!

Secret "Treasure" at Michaels

I have a confession: I am addicted to the $1 bin at Michaels. Aside from DIY projects, I would not exactly call myself "good" at finding deals. I am usually the girl who buys something and hears the next week that it's 50% off. (But I am getting better at it!)

There is just something about that dollar bin at Michaels that draws me in...and I ALWAYS find something! I found the following pictures last summer. Each picture is printed on a small canvas and only cost $1. I put this cute collection together on the wall in Briggs' bathroom.

I found the following adorable gift tags there. The green pattern has a very cute, preppy feel to it.

These sweet little note cards by Shabby Chic double as place cards at a dinner party....and yup, only a dollar for a pack.

It is so exciting to find such an unexpected little treasure...and at a great price!

An Old Screen

This MIGHT be my favorite thing. Ok, I say that about everything. But I LOVE this old framed screen.

I found it in "The Girls on Tenth" in North Wilkesboro. The owner of "The Vintage Home," Michelle, was using it to display jewelry. I spotted it and asked her immediately if it was for sale. She wasn't selling it, but had gotten it from a friend of hers who was replacing all of the screens in her historic home. She called her friend, and sure enough, she put aside a screen for me. I'm using it to hang jewelry, pictures, and miscellaneous things that make me smile.

I love how chippy it is. I covered it in polyacrylic to prevent it from chipping any further.

To hang the necklaces, I clipped pieces of galvanized wire and bent them with pliers to make "S" shapes. I stuck them in the screen and hung the necklaces from them.

I am so excited to find a way to store my jewelry and decorate a bare wall in our bedroom!

A Memory in a Jar

I saw the cutest idea in a Pottery Barn catalog. (Imagine that!) They suggested taking collected items (such as shells, etc.) from family vacations and grouping them together on a bookshelf as a "Memory Shelf." I read this tip as we were en route to Tybee Island and Savannah for a weekend trip.

So, of course, I was sure to fill a giant bag with sand and shells we collected from Tybee, and this time, I WOULD MAKE SURE they became decoration in our home. So, a year passed, and the shells and sand were still in the bag. When I recently got a great deal on some old mason jars, I knew it was time to make something out of it.

I filled the jar with the "treasures" I collected, and cut a piece of burlap to fit the top. I tied it on with a piece of twine and attached a label that read "Tybee Island," and it's now sitting on the old chippy shelf in my kitchen. From now on, every beach we go to, I plan to have a new memory jar on our shelf.

This project reminded me of how much fun we had and was a nice way to relive it. A bit more from Savannah.....

See the little head at the bottom of the picture below? Yeah, that's me. Clearly my husband thought the Pirates House was more interesting than me. :)

Hanging Letters

Several people have asked me about the hanging letters that spell "Briggs" in his nursery. It was so easy to do! (Try to ignore the lovely video monitor in the picture.)

I went to Michael's in search of silver frames. I had a very specific type in mind-they had to be thin, silver, 8"x 10" wall frames with white mats. I found thin, silver 8"x 10" tabletop frames without mats...but the price was so good, I could make it work! I bought 6 of them, and bought 6 white mats that were cut for a 5" x 7" picture.

I went home and played with fonts on the computer until I found one I liked, and I printed out different sized letters until I found a size that fit well into my 5" x 7" mats. I printed each of the letters out onto ivory paper I found in the scrapbooking section at Michael's.

I then sat on the floor of his nursery (with my giant belly and all) and yanked the stands off of each frame with needle-nose pliers. I cut equal lengths of white ribbon, and then used a staple gun to attach the ribbon to the frames. (I also doubled up with a little Gorilla glue for a extra staying power.)

That's it! Now, hanging them in a straight line....that's a different story.