The Happy Door

Building My Dream She Shed

I have been dreaming of a She Shed for years! I have dropped hints to my family but never thought it would happen. Well, I guess dreams do come true! My husband is building me a She Shed! Let me tell you how this came about.

We have a bonus room in our house that is part my craft space and part hang out room for my two teenagers. Now they are wanting to take the space back for themselves. They want a hang out/man cave….and I get it. Who wants mom crafting felt flowers while you are watching football with your friends?

Here is a corner of our bonus room that I have claimed.

I got thinking that if the kids want the bonus room I could craft in a She Shed! So, my husband and I discussed it and he wasn’t completely opposed to the idea! I jumped on the opportunity and starting doing some research at some local shops for sheds.

I loved the style above (in yellow) but wanted to make a few changes. I quickly realized how changes added up. Plus, most local companies build a shed and then bring it to your lot. Our lot was difficult because of the layout and our existing fence so that was an expensive option. We also had a hard time finding a company that would build on site. So, my husband offered to build one for me! He found a plan similar to the style I liked at http://icreatables.com. The plans were about $35.00.

This was the style we picked! I decided to change the door to a single door with half glass and make the windows larger.

Once we had the plans my husband made a list and we ordered all the supplies at Lowe’s.

I’ve never been more excited to shop for lumber!

Once the order was delivered my husband got to work. He can only work on this project on the weekends, so I will be sharing more updates as he moves along.

He laid the foundation and started framing the walls.

This was all exciting but when the walls went up is when things got really fun!

We went with a 10×14 size. I have to admit it seems so big now that the walls are up. And we still have the roof which will add four more feet. We may make some changes with the roof but we are going to think it over. In the meantime, I will be dreaming of decorating it! Let’s face it, that’s the best part! I created a mood board for a bit of inspiration.

These are a few images and colors that have inspired me. I’m itching for the build to be done so I can have some fun! I hope you follow along with me on our She Shed build!

Fall Home Tour

I am so happy it is Fall! It is my favorite season and I love decorating my home this time of year. The cozy additions make me want to stay home and bake pumpkin and apple treats. So, come along on a tour of our home!

I love decorating my porch for Fall. Of course, a wreath is the perfect addition. When I saw this pumpkin grapevine base at Hobby Lobby I knew I had to add a few felt flowers and add it to my door. I also grabbed a new doormat and put out some pumpkins and mums!

Next, in my living room and reused most of what I had from the past few years. I did find some pink velvet pumpkins on a stem and added a few pops of pink this year!

These pink pumpkin stems were a fun addition to my mantle. This sweet wooden pumpkin from Oak and Co. matches perfectly!

I keep my colors neutral. Yellows, pinks and whites are my favorites!

This little corner is adorned in fabric pumpkins from Buntings N More and a beautiful beaded garland by May Darlings.

I love cozy textures! This cute embroidery weaving from A Little Birdie Gifts is the perfect addition to my decor! I also love my “I love you” weaving from Yukiko Fiber Creations.

In my kitchen I added a few pumpkins on a scale and keep my candy corn in my gray pumpkin that I found a couple of years ago at Target.

In my dining room I updated my letter board with a Fall quote. I also cut some pampas grass from my backyard and added them to a vase.

Little touches like dried grasses and a pumpkin in a cake stand make our home feel extra cozy.

Lastly, I shared in the past a way to create a fun flower arrangement in a faux pumpkin. It’s a great project because you can re-use the pumpkin year after year! I just grabbed a $10.00 bouquet from the grocery store and then grabbed a few extra clippings from my yard to create this beautiful arrangement.

Check out my previous blog post for this easy DIY!

I hope you enjoyed my home tour and maybe found some inspiration! Happy Fall!

Inspired by Maine

I love traveling and one of my favorite destinations to visit is Maine. My parents have a home in Wells, Maine. It is on the southern coast of the state. It is tucked between Ogunquit and Kennebunkport and full of charm and great seafood!

There is so much inspiration so I thought I’d share a few things that I adore about it. I also worked on a fun craft while I was there that I’ll share!

While my mom and I went out browsing some antique shops we decided to find a small flower stand I read about, Spy Haven Farms . It was the cutest stand with beautiful flowers. It had an honor system, drop $15.00 in a box and grab a gorgeous bouquet.

Another must see spot is the Marginal Way in Ogunquit. I have walked in numerous times and it never disappoints! Take a look at the views!

So with all the beauty in the area I thought I’d try a fun nautical inspired craft. My mom had some shells on hand, wrapping paper and Mod Podge and I decided to have some fun!

I cut pieces of wrapping paper to fit in the shells and brushed the Mod Podge on the bottom and top of the paper. The grooves made it a bit tricky but it still came out cute, I think.

I had to leave a few shells behind since they blended so well in my parents home!

Have you ever been to Maine? If not add it to your bucket list! I know you’ll love it.

DIY Pom Pom Pillow

I love pillows. They are an easy way to switch up decor or freshen up a space. My couch needed a little pop of color so I ran out to grab a couple of new pillows. World Market has velvet pillows for $9.99 in lots of pretty shades. Since yellow is my accent color I grabbed two pillows and brought them home. They looked cute, but I thought adding a little more texture would be fun! So, I made some pom poms and decided to add them!

There are lots of ways to make pom poms. I have pom pom makers but just don’t like them. So, I wrap the yarn around my fingers to make them. Here is my method:

First off I wrap the yarn around my fingers. For smaller pom poms I wrapped around three fingers about 25 times. Pull the yarn off your hands and tie a piece of yarn around the center and knot it. You will then cut each half, making sure to not cut the string you just tied in the center. Then, start trimming! Trim around until you have a pom you like. I used 18 pom pom per pillow. I hot glued mine on to the pillows and love them even more!

They can be time consuming to make. I made mine while I took my boys fishing! It was a beautiful day, I sat in the shade and snipped away!

I think my new pillows are just what my space needed!

DIY Striped Candles

I have recently been on a thrifting kick. I love finding a good deal and what better way than to head to the local thrift store and see what you find? So, when I recently went I found a candelabra/wreath/fruit THING (I’m not sure how else to describe it!) I took it home and deconstructed it. I had a few ideas for some different projects. I took the candle holder and transformed it into something fun and pretty!

I spray painted the candle holder and added some fun candles!

You may want to see first what it looked like before!

I’m not sure what look this piece was, but it wasn’t my style! I reused the fruit for some more fresh and modern wreaths and knew I could do something with the candle holder! And it was only 99 cents!

I decided to spray paint the base gold. When I went shopping for candles I wanted to buy a mix of pretty colors, but they were expensive! So, I bought a pack of white taper candles (12 were $5.99 plus I had a 50% off coupon!) I went home and used some washi tape and started wrapping each candle with a different spacing and patterns.

I actually think I like the striped candles more than if I had bought a mix of colored candles. I think this would be a cute project even with a single candle holder or two on a mantle or shelf.

I’m excited to use this piece for outdoor or indoor decor! It’s a fun and easy project. I think a set of pretty candles would also be a beautiful gift tied up with ribbon.

Thanks for reading! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

DIY Painted Doormat

I love changing out my doormats for the seasons. So, when I saw a blank doormat at Walmart I thought it would be fun to try painting one myself!

I grabbed a few more containers of paint and some new brushes, too. I headed home with an idea. I’d paint one of my favorite places to visit, Rainbow Row in Charleston, SC!

Total cost of my project was under $10.00! The mat is linked here (plain doormat).

First, I sketched out an idea of what I wanted. I then measured the mat and divided it by four, since I wanted four houses. Next, I started painting the squares. I roughly painted windows so that the windows could still have the mat color poking through. Then I painted each house. I outlined the windows and doors in dark gray. I added chimneys and shutters, and even wreaths! Lastly, I decided to write “welcome” at the top to finish it off.

And that’s it! It took me about an hour and was so fun and relaxing! I’m brainstorming other ideas, too.

What would you paint or your mat? Let me know if you try it out!

Neutral Winter Decorating

I like to add little updates to my house for the seasons. Winter is no exception! We don’t celebrate Christmas, but I add touches of winter inside and outside!

First up I start decorating my mantle! You’ll see I added my snow globes from one of my previous blog posts (DIY Snow Globes).

I start with my mantle by adding faux birch candle holders, white bottle brush trees, some of my DIY snow globes and a few other accessories!

I love my Get Cozy sign from Birds Nest Boards

I also accessorize my animals with cozy scarves!

Lastly, I added a new wreath to my front door! I bought chunky yarn from Hobby Lobby and wrapped a straw wreath base. I then took a felt ball garland and wrapped that around the base. You could even use pom poms and glue them on.

Lastly, I grabbed two paper trees from the Target Dollar Spot and a mini house ornament and hot glued them to the base. It is a simple and easy winter wonderland wreath!

I hope you enjoyed some of the neutral winter touches I added to our home!

Peel and Stick Wallpaper

My bedroom was in need of a fresh look. Artemis Walls came to my rescue! They offer a huge variety of peel and stick wallpaper. I love the idea of wallpaper and decided to do an accent wall in the stipple pattern. I liked the fresh, modern look and was excited to try it out!

So, to start the project you first measure your walls and order the amount of wallpaper needed. Artemis Walls will send you the paper numbered so you know which order to hang the paper. They also send a smoothing tool. You will also need an exacto knife.

You will need to clean your walls before starting. Then start on the left and work your way to the right. Line up your paper and keep moving. If you don’t get it right it’s easy to peel off and start again. I worked in two foot sections, as the directions recommended. So, peel, smooth and continue all the way down. Smooth out your air bubbles as you go. I also took the exacto and sliced out the areas around the plug outlets. Once I reached the end I trimmed the excess from the baseboards and walls. That’s it! For a first timer I am happy with the result!

I grabbed two new pillows from Marshall’s!

I decided I also wanted to do another DIY project I had seen on Instagram. Puck light sconces!

Those pretty new sconce lights give an upgraded look without having to hire an electrician to wire them! It’s an easy project. Pick sconce lights ( I got mine from Amazon!) and then order puck lights with a remote (also from Amazon, linked here ).

So, my husband mounted the lights and just tucked the wires behind the light, in case we ever decide to wire them. I took some Gorilla tape and taped the puck light to the base, where the lightbulb would normally go. And then you can click the remote on and off!

I love the look. It is not as bright as if it was wired, but it adds nice ambient light. And for both lights and the puck lights it was only $80.00! I think that is a great deal for a custom look.

I hope you enjoyed my bedroom updates! I hope you consider peel and stick wallpaper! Don’t forget to check out Artemis Walls if you do!

DIY Snow Globes

My kids have a great collection of snow globes. I think they’re so adorable and wanted to have some adult versions for winter! So, I thought I’d share a few ideas with you that are easy to create. They can also be a fun project to do with your kiddos!

This gum ball machine got a fun makeover last year for my mantle!

So, last year I decided to created a gum ball machine snow globe. I ordered the machine from (Amazon ) and basically deconstructed it. I wasn’t planning on using it ever again for gum balls so I just took it apart, taped off the metal area where the money goes and spray painted it a pale gray. I took off the glass top, added the house and put the glass back on. I then added a bottle bush tree and some fake snow from the craft store and voila! A fun winter scene in a gum ball machine!

Keep in mind once you take the center pole out of the gum ball machine the top piece just rests on the glass, it doesn’t screw in to the base. But since I’m just using it for decoration it doesn’t bother me!

I assembled a few other ideas to share with you!

I gathered more supplies to share a few other ideas you could try. One is in a cake stand and the other is in a mason jar.

Fake snow, bottle brush trees, mini deer ornaments and a camper can opener were things I grabbed.

So, the cake stand idea is super easy. Grab a cake stand with a lid, layer some fake snow and accessorize! I added a camper bottle opener I had and covered the opener part with more snow. I added a bottle brush tree and a cute little deer. I added it to my bar area and think it’s so fun!

Lastly, you could grab a few mason jars and add the snow and a little tree or woodland animal! Twinkle lights would also be cute inside.

So, there you go! Snow globes for grown ups! I hope you had fun reading this and maybe even try one yourself! Let me know if you do.

DIY Dried Oranges

I love the look of dried oranges for fall and winter decorating. I had decided I would add some to a few signs I was going to make for my Etsy shop. They were so easy to do! I think I also want to make a garland for my mantle now!

It’s a very simple project. You could string them for a garland, add them to a vase or bowl or add to a wreath!

Just grab some oranges and slice them about 1/4 of an inch thick. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the oranges flat. Bake at 200 degrees for about 5 hours. Let them sit out overnight! Then have fun crafting with them!