The Happy Door

Our Utah Adventure

I have had Utah on my travel radar for awhile now. When my family and I were discussing Spring Break plans I brought it up. Everyone looked at me like “Utah, what will we do there?” I shared lots of outdoor activities and hikes and they were on board! My husband searched for flight deals and we found one to Las Vegas for a good price (it’s about a three hour drive from where we wanted to be) so we booked it! And I started planning!

So, a little about me…I love making travel plans! I research, read blogs and make lists like a maniac! Then I tell my husband my ideas and he searches for deals on flights, hotels and Airbnb’s! We make a good team. I knew I wanted to go to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park so my husband read that Kanab, Utah was a great spot to stay near the parks. And he found an Airbnb that was beautiful, affordable and only 30 minutes-one hour from the parks. We booked it!

If you ever stay in Kanab check out this Airbnb!

So, once we had lodging and flights booked my husband booked a rental car. We knew we would need that. The rest was up to me. So, I started researching and making lists. There are actually lots of great hikes to do in Kanab so that was a bonus! And since we were flying into Vegas we thought we would spend one night on each end of our trip and show the kids the hotels and catch a show.

We arrived in Vegas late so we checked into the Sahara and the next morning we explored the city.

The weather was perfect. We went the first week in April so it was pleasant. The Bellagio gardens were beautiful. I also found a flower wall in the Venetian so I made my son grab a photo!

After exploring we headed to Kanab. It was about a three hour drive and it was nice to get away from the crowds. Kanab is a small town. We grabbed some groceries and settled in for the night. The following day we were going to do some exploring.

My best friend had recommended that I download the AllTrails app. I highly recommend it! You can add trails you want to go on or search an area and make a favorites list. Then it will give you directions, reviews and conditions for the trail. It was a game changer.

Our first day we decided to go to the Moqui Caves. It is a fairly easy hike and takes you up to a man made cave. It has a beautiful view!

Later in the week we met a local that said her and her friends used to bring a generator and movies up there and hang out. It was a fun spot.

Our next stop was the Toadstool Hoodoos. This was such a cool hike. It kind of felt like you were in a Star Wars movie. The hike was just under two miles but it was so fun to roam around and check out the views.

The following day we headed to Bryce Canyon. That was about an hour and fifteen minutes from Kanab. It was absolutely beautiful. There was snow on the ground, too. But it was so comfortable to hike in.

We hiked the Queens Garden Trail, Sunrise Point to Sunset Point and the Mossy Cave Trail. All were fairly easy and beautiful! After a full day we headed back to Kanab and grabbed some dinner.

The next day was Zion National Park. The day we went was beautiful weather. Unfortunately we circled and looked for parking for two hours! It was a frustrating start to the day. I had heard Zion gets busy but I had no idea it would be that busy! Once we found parking we had to take a shuttle. Zion only allows cars to a certain point and then you have to take the shuttle. The line for the shuttle was long…we waited well over an hour. Let me just say, Zion was worth the wait! Our first stop was to hike the Narrows. This is a long hike, 8 miles. We had no intention of doing that, and once we got in the water we knew we would not last long! The water was FREEZING! I later looked it up, it was 39 degrees that day.

Most in the water had rented suits and boots. We obviously didn’t. So we walked as long as we could handle it. It was beautiful, but the rocks were slippery and it wasn’t easy.

Next we did Zion Canyon Overlook Trail. I think this was my favorite hike of the trip! We went right before sunset and it was amazing!

We decided the next day we’d sleep in a bit and shop around in some local shops. We also decided to go about 20 minutes out of Kanab to The Coral Pink Sand Dunes. This is a spot you can rent sled or sand boards and go down the dunes. When we arrived the Ranger told us it may be too windy to sled. And as we walked we saw a family leaving saying they wasted their money renting sleds because it was too windy. So, we decided to just walk around and hike the dunes. The wind was wild!

Next we went back to Zion. What a different experience it was! I’m not sure if because it was cooler and had more wind but the crowds were much less. We found parking quickly and the shuttle was only about fifteen minutes! We went to Emerald Pools Trail. It was such a gorgeous hike!

Our next adventure was to Peekaboo Canyon. Since you need four wheel drive to get there we decided to book an ATV tour. We booked through Kanab Tour Co. They were awesome

My husband and oldest son were the drivers. They had fun!

Once we got to Peekaboo Canyon our tour guide taught us about the Canyon and took pictures for us, too.

I wanted to go to Antelope Canyon but it was much farther and you had to pay 95.00 per person to get in there. So, I feel like we got the same vibe and got to take an ATV adventure!

Lastly, we checked out The Belly of the Dragon. This was in Kanab and easy to get to. You really drive up to it but can take more of a trail through it . It’s short and cool to see.

The next day we headed back to Las Vegas. We had bought tickets to a Cirque De Soleil show so we did that and flew out the next morning.

This vacation was so memorable and we all had a wonderful time. Being in nature and spending time together was amazing! We also had plenty of time to relax, unwind, eat out and my husband and son even went to a local barber shop for a haircut! It was the perfect trip and I highly recommend visiting Utah if you have the chance!

Thanks for coming along! Comment below if you’ve been or what you’d love to see!

Spring in the She Shed

Once the temperature starts warming up I start switching over Winter decor to Spring. In North Carolina that starts happening in February. So, I was excited to make a few changes inside the she shed. I have lots of planting and some paint touch ups to do outside, but I will have to wait a bit for that.

First up, I added some faux flowers to a pink thrifted vase. I bought the pink blooms at Michael’s but had the white ones already.

I had thrifted that pretty butterfly a few years ago and attached it to the vase. I added a few candles to my thrifted brass candlesticks. One of them I had painted. I love painting candlesticks and am thinking I will have to share a bit more about that in another post!

Next up I added a fun new book I had bought on EBay. I layered a few fun pieces I already had on hand.

I can’t forget to mention my pink swan planter! I found that thrifting and made a heart trellis out of a metal hanger.

Next up I wanted to update my wreath. I have been wanting to try to make yarn flowers and had a blast making them! I added some to a wreath I had used last year and attached a few to a pillow with a pin. I think they are so whimsical and fun!

Here are my yarn flowers on a beaded wreath.

I pinned a few flowers on a pillow, too.

I couldn’t resist using my pink truck and adding a little peach to it! In the Fall it has a pumpkin, winter a pine cone and now it’s hauling a peach!

I just love rearranging things in here for each season. This space has been so much fun for me. I’ve even made a wreath for a repeat customer this week! Sometimes I forget that’s why I started wanting this space…my Etsy shop! Unfortunately things have slowed down in that area, but my creativity is still flowing in here.

This was a fun custom wreath I made! Perfect for Spring!

I can’t wait to get working on the outside…stay tuned for an update!

Seasons in my She Shed

It has been almost two years since my she shed project has been completed! Seasons have come and gone and I have loved every minute of it! Of course, there has been some learning along the way. Regulating the temperature in the heat and cold has been a challenge, but the new insulation has helped quite a bit. The inside roof has not been insulated so some heat/cool air does escape. But, I am not too concerned about dealing with that now. I don’t spend long hours inside so I don’t think the time and money is worth it right now.

Overall, this project has been a dream come true! I thought I would share a few photos of memories of each season. I hope you find some inspiration!

Well, this image is edited! The snow is a filter from an app, but you get the idea! We don’t get much snow here in North Carolina, but I wanted to imagine my shed with snow. The inside has some cute winter touches, though.

I love adding lots of cozy pink touches. Turning on the electric fireplace makes it even cuter! Next up, my favorite season….FALL!

For Fall I add lots of textures! Painted pumpkins, velvet pumpkins and pink mums, of course!

Spring and summer are always fun, I fill my flower boxes and this year I grew zinnias on one side of my shed. I also have hydrangeas that make me so happy. I plan on adding more blooms in the future.

I was so happy to grow zinnias this year!

This picture was taken before we added a new paver patio to the entrance of the shed. What an upgrade!

This year I updated my corn hold boards for some backyard fun! And I love relaxing inside.

I have so enjoyed this fun space and decorating for each season. Adding cute touches just makes me happy and I’m happy you’ve followed along. Make sure to check back on previous blog posts and details!

So tell me, what is your favorite season?

Swan Winter Mantle

I started collecting swans this past year and my collection just keeps growing! My mom gifted me two wooden swans and I knew I just had to incorporate them for a cozy winter mantle.

I braided some yarn and made them scarves and from there I gathered some inspiration and ideas.

I ordered some new prints from Desenio along with some new frames! I love all the options but once I saw the swan print I knew it would be perfect! I also ordered the muted rainbow and the Forest print.

These prints from Desenio are perfect! I also added some thrifted gold candlesticks I tied with ribbon.

I was thrilled to find this candlestick holder for $2.99 while thrifting. It’s perfect for a bottle brush tree!

I found the rounded ornate frame at Marshall’s and did a quick and easy DIY. I had thrifted a swan book and took one of the photos to add to the frame. It was a bit small so I tore out a page about swans in winter and added it to the bottom. I think it gives some texture and I loved what it said in the book! (that the male swan works in winter and protects while the family feeds and puts on weight!)

This is an easy way to update art! Find a pretty photo from a book and tear out another page and add it to the photo! My thrifted photo holder is also perfect for a narrow mantle.

I also made a garland to add a bit of whimsy! I found a white beaded garland at Walmart for $6.98! I added some dried oranges and wrapped a bit of yarn. Then I added some command strips to hang it. I think it adds a great touch.

My new mantle gives me all the cozy vibes for winter. I love layering the art, textures and some thrifted pieces. I hope you’ve found some inspiration!

A Cozy Pink Winter

One thing I love about having my she shed is being able to change up my decorations. I mean, I love decorating my home for my family, but with this space I can really make it girly and whimsical! And PINK!

So, this winter I pulled out some of my past decor, but was so excited to add some new things. First off, I found these charming little houses at Michael’s. I grabbed the A frame house and ski lodge. They were a bargain at $5.99 each and even light up! If you want to grab your own head here.

These were the houses before I decorated them.

I painted them both and then added glitter. If you decide to add glitter you will add a coat of Elmers glue with a brush and then sprinkle the glitter on the wet glue. I also made two mini wreaths to attach to the doors.

I painted a couple of taper candles I had and added some bottle brush trees. I then added a little pink pick up truck. I mean, if I was to go skiing I would want to go here!

I decided to make a garland to hang on the fireplace. I attached a couple of command strips to the side and strung a beaded garland I had already. I added a piece of chunky yarn and strung some dried oranges onto the yarn. If you want to dry oranges make sure to check out my previous post here. Then I added some pine cone twinkle lights to finish off the whimsical look.

Every year I add scarves to any woodland animals I have. This year my new pink swan got one!

I just love all the pink and all the whimsy! It’s such a happy space to get creative in! Let me know your favorite part.

Golden Girls Party

I love the Golden Girls! And I have a good friend who shares a love of the show. So, obviously we had to host a Golden Girls theme party. I thought I’d share a few of the ideas we had to make the party fun for our friends.

Of course, we started with a cute invitation. I designed one on Canva. I wanted it to feel like it was coming straight from the ladies condo!

Next, I went shopping for a costume. I love thrifting, so going to Goodwill was the obvious choice. I found an 80’s suit that had a Rose vibe. I grabbed some pearls from Walmart and bought the cute earrings on Amazon. I made a “Stay Golden” bracelet with some beads I had.

Then we started planning some details. We got a balloon garland for a backdrop from a Temu. We got some photo props and gift bags from Amazon. The water bottle tags are from Etsy and added a cute touch!

I also thrifted some dishes for the party. The retro florals we’re perfect for the theme!

Inside the gift bags I added some “granny candy”(butterscotch and mints), a few stickers I bought from Amazon and a Shady Pines keychain I made. I wrapped them up and put a pink roller on a clothespin to close the bag up!

My friend found a perfect party game…Bingo! She found that on Amazon, too!

I wanted to make a floral centerpiece, too. I have a ceramic bust and had an idea to make a Sophia arrangement. I ordered some gold monstera leaves from Temu, picked up some roses from the grocery store and added glasses and pearls! I think she’s perfect!

We had also seen some cute cake pops on Pinterest and my friend did an amazing job making them!

We also decided to make a cocktail for each character. We made four pitchers of drinks and had a little menu on display.

No Golden Girls party would be complete without a cheesecake bar! I failed to grab a photo of that, but we basically had different fruit toppings for your cheesecake. It was delicious.

We had such a blast. We ate, laughed, had cocktails and caught up. It was a perfect girls night!

I hope this has inspired you to have your own Golden Girls themed party! It’s such a fun theme!

Fun and whimsical pumpkins

If you’ve been here for a bit you know that Fall is my favorite season. Pumpkins just make me smile and I would like to keep them out all year! So, I have quite a collection and each year I try to think of fun, new ways to decorate with them!

I thought I’d share a round up of some of my favorite ideas. I’ve painted, carved and used pumpkins as vases for flowers. Below are some of my favorites!

Here’s my she shed with quite a few pretty pumpkins! Read below for some of the ideas.

First off, the large wooden pallet pumpkin is new to my she shed this year. Before it was plain and gray. Although it was pretty, I wanted to make something fun for the entrance to my Petit Chateau. So I painted it in different shades of pink and peach and painted different rows of flowers. Then I added some orange yarn to the top. Now, it’s perfect!

This fun and easy update fits perfectly now!

Next up I decided to carve a pumpkin and make a pumpkin fairy house!

I found a pretty peach pumpkin and carved the top off. I cleaned out the inside and put some battery powered twinkle lights inside. I then cute out two round windows and a square door. I grabbed some twigs and assembled them with floral wire to make a door. I hung the door on a small skewer. I then got glued acorns and dried hydrangeas on for window boxes and made a mini hydrangea wreath. I added a few sticks for window panes and topped another mini pumpkin on top with some flowers. The fun thing about making one of these is you can use what you have and be creative!

I also made a fun pumpkin with acorn flowers. This is easy! Grab some acorn tops and hot glue them onto your pumpkin. Then add some acrylic paint to make flower petals and leaves.

The pumpkin behind my acorn pumpkin is from a few years ago. I just painted florals on a craft store pumpkin. It’s still one of my favorites!

Another thing I love to use pumpkins for is floral arrangements! You can use a real or fake pumpkin. I carved out the top of a fake pumpkin and then fill it with flowers in a small vase in the pumpkin.

This year I put some dried limelight hydrangeas.

I’ve also filled it with hydrangeas from my yard.

And this arrangement was with grocery store flowers.

I hope I’ve given you some inspiration for ways to add some whimsy to your Fall decor! Let me know if you’ve tried any of these.

How to dry and arrange limelight hydrangeas

I have two large limelight hydrangea bushes in my front yard. I absolutely love them during summer. They are a pretty creamy white and then fade to a lovely pale lime green. Come Fall time they start drying out but they are still beautiful! They are shades or green and muted pink. I love to clip the stems and arrange them for Fall decorating, so I thought I’d share a few tips and ideas.

So, pruning and trimming the stems off was quite a bit of work. I ended up throwing away a huge trash bag full of stems that had turned too brown. But, I reserved a lot of beautiful ones!

Once you have trimmed the blooms you then want to remove all the leaves from the stem. They will quickly wilt and won’t look pretty. I just run my hand down the stem and pull the leaves into a bucket.

Once you have done that you are ready to arrange them!

The best way to dry them so that will last is to place them in about three inches of water. Let the water dry out in the stems and they should stay for you to use as you would any dried flower. I put mine in a clear vase and a hollowed out faux pumpkin!

They also look pretty in my back patio!

I hope you have a chance to dry some hydrangeas this Fall! Let me know your thoughts.

Our trip to Malaga, Spain

Our family had planned a trip to Spain in 2020 but when Covid hit our flights were cancelled. I was so upset because I was dying to go. So, we waited for everything to open back up and make new plans. And let me just say, the wait was worth it! This vacation was one of the best in my life. I am going to share some of the places we visited and the highlights!

We boarded our flight. We had a stop over in Philadelphia where we met my sister in law and brother in law. From there we took our flight to Madrid. From Madrid to Malaga was a five hour drive so we were pretty exhausted. But, where we were staying was worth the wait!

We stayed in amazing home with a beautiful view and a pool.

Once we got a good nights sleep we decided to explore Malaga. We had rented a car and it was fairly easy to get around. We headed to the Malaga Cathedral. I had read that the view from the top were amazing, and that was accurate!

From the top of the Cathedral the views were stunning!

Next we roamed the city. It is so charming. And it is so clean!

We knew we wanted to spend a day at the beach, too. There were lots of recommendations for beaches, but we went closest to where we were staying in Benalmadena. The beach was beautiful. We rented some chairs which had umbrellas and ordered some sangria and fried fish with French fries. It was a perfect day! We were there in April, so the ocean was too cold for me, but my youngest son and brother in law went in the water!

We met some friends who lived in Malaga. They were so gracious and hosted us for a lunch. We then went to Gibralfaro castle (we didn’t tour it, just took in the views). Then they took us to Alcazaba to tour the castle, which was beautiful. Then we met friends for a late dinner.

The view from Gibralfaro castle. You could see the bullfighting ring.

Just a few views of evening time in Malaga…

We knew we wanted to take a day trip to Seville. Originally I had read it was an hour from Malaga, but it was more like two and a half. It was with every minute! We wanted to see Alcazar, but when we went to book a ticket they were booked for a week! So, if that is on your list make sure to book well in advance. Even with missing that we still spent a full day and saw so many gorgeous things!

We went to see Space Metropol Parasol. It was cool to walk across the top, you have to buy a ticket but it was worth the views.

Lastly we saw Plaza de Espana. It was so beautiful. The details of the columns were amazing. All porcelain and in perfect condition!

Next on our list was to head back to Madrid and spend two nights in an AirBnB and do some sighseeing before we took our flight home. Our new friends came to say goodbye and recommended we stop in a cute town just a ten minute drive from Malaga. We decided to go there first and I am so happy we didn’t miss it. The town is called Mijas and it was so charming. Small little streets to roam through and shop, grab a coffee or ice cream and take pictures!

It was such a cute town and I am so happy we didn’t miss touring it! Once we finished there we headed back to Madrid. We arrived late that night so we got a good nights rest so we could do plenty of sightseeing. We first headed to Plaza de Mayor. It is a large public square with restaurants and shops. We grabbed lunch there. I felt the area was a bit of a tourist trap, but it is worth seeing. Next we walked to Mercado San Miguel which is a large food market. I had regretted eating lunch earlier because the food looked amazing!

From there we walked to the Royal Palace of Madrid. You can buy a ticket to tour inside but we decided not to. We noticed some mini open buses offering tours of the city and we decided to do that. Our goal was to end up at the Parque of Madrid and we would have needed to take a taxi, so the mini bus was a good option to see a lot of the city. They brought us to the other side of the Palace which was beautiful.

After touring the city we ended up Retiriro Park. This was my favorite part of Madrid. The park was beautiful to walk through. There were spots to grab a drink or some food. We went to see the Crystal Palace.

Then we also checked out the Rose Garden in the park. It wasn’t in full bloom but it was still pretty to see.

We had a good time in Madrid, but definitely preferred less of a city vibe and preferred Malaga and Seville. A few things you want to make sure you do while in Spain is : drink lots of coffee, have an Aperol Spritz, eat all the olives, try the fresh fish and eat some paella! Thanks for coming along on our adventure, feel free to comment below with your favorite part or if you have ever been to any of these locations!

Shiplap in the She Shed!

About three months ago we decided to insulate the walls of my she shed since it was getting too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Check out the way it looked when we started here….She Shed Tour . My husband was going to do the project and decided to cut his own shiplap. It was just more cost effective to do it this way. I’ll share some of the details and the final result!

This part was fairly easy for him. He just measured and placed the insulation between the studs and stapled it in place. Of course, wear gloves, a mask and glasses!

Next up was the shiplap. He priced out buying it from hardware stores but read an article about cutting the wood yourself to save money. I also believe some stores will cut it for you!

Next he measured 6” strips and we marked it off with a chalk line. He then cut the strips and got ready to hang them!

Now comes the part that seemed to take forever! He only has weekends to work on this and we had lots going on, so it took much longer than we thought! It probably also would have been easier to take everything out of the shed, but we didn’t do that!

Once he had it all hung I was finally able to paint! I was so anxious to get it finished and get back in my happy space to get creative!

By the way, I really wanted the ceiling insulated and then beadboard sheets hung. My husband just wasn’t up for taking that on, so he said we will try this and see how it feels. I have a feeling that may happen in the future!! But back to the fun part… finishing the painting and putting everything back!

I ended up needing to roll two coats of paint. I decided not to caulk the seams. I like the rustic look and honestly didn’t want to spend all the time doing it!! Since I rolled it there is some paint in the seams (I don’t mind it, I know it may drive some people crazy!) I honestly didn’t think ahead and just rolled, if I didn’t want paint in the seams I probably would have needed to get a small roller and it would have been much more time consuming. I just wanted it to still feel like a shed and I’m so happy with it.

It’s so nice having smooth surfaces to hang things on. Before I had to fit things between or on top of the studs. So, I moved a few things around and reorganized a lot of my areas.

My VW collection is one of my favorites!

I am so happy to have this space back! I had no idea how much I would miss having my little pink paradise to rest and unwind! Stay tuned for more fun in The Petit Chateau!