How To Make a Birthday Box Candy'Gram

We celebrated two birthdays in our family this week,

one being my Step-FIL's 70th!

He loves sweets, and I wanted to add a little something special

to his annual, usual, mundane gift of two shirts.  

I mean... what do you get a man who already has everything he wants?

I found several candy'gram posters for birthdays on Pinterest,

and also had a list from years ago, with a message made from candy bar names,

but they just didn't seem befitting.

And several of the candy bars used for the grams were hard to find.

So I decided to make my own Birthday Candy'Gram!

Instead of making a poster or using a bag,

I opted for a decorative cardboard box, found at Dollar Tree to hold the candy.

Wrote a few verses of my own

showcasing candy bars and gum that I knew he would like.

Used crinkled paper gift filler to fill the empty spots in the box...

...and after contemplating between a black or yellow bow to complete the

package, chose the later, and secured the gram message into place with hot glue.

Just so happens,

M&M's is celebrating 75 years,

so I added "And look on the bright side, you're still younger than M&M's!"  :)

I must confess, the pack of Extra gum disappeared somewhere between

 the store and home.  Meant to pick up another pack, but forgot.

But for less than $8.00,

a cute Birthday Box Candy'Gram was created!

You can hardly buy a birthday card for much less than that!

And my Step-FIL, he absolutely loved it!

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Sharing Post At:
Julie's Lifestyle - Cooking & Crafting With J&J
Between Naps on The Porch - Met Monday
Celebrate & Decorate - Celebrate Your Story
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
McCall Manor - Your Inspired Design
Poofing the Pillows - Thoughts of Home
The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home

Giving a Glider New Life & Creating a Back Deck Oasis

An added bonus of blogging is the really nice people you "meet,"

and if you're very fortunate, form long lasting friendships with!

One treasured friend is Cindy!

Cindy and I started with RMS (HGTV's Rate My Space Forum)

and both transitioned over to blogging about 8 years ago.

Cindy blogged at Just Another Day In Paradise,

but in recent years has returned to school and is a very dedicated Grammy

to five precious, beautiful little girls!

Cindy and I keep contact via Facebook these days,

and she recently shared pictures of a few projects she's been working on this summer!

She's a handy, talented lady!

The glider below, was a Father's Day gift to her husband 27 years ago.

Sitting out in the weather under the deck for quite awhile,

had taken it's toll on it!

Cindy reslatted and sealed the pieces, and painted the frame.

Added pretty, fresh pillows and cushions,
the glider now looks brand spanking new!

The glider makeover was just the first step to transforming her deck

into her own little oasis once again.

I can only imagine how she must enjoy the teal umbrella on a sunny day!

The pretty rug, a great find from Lowe's, ties the space together perfectly!

Cindy says that it is made up of some sort of plastic composite that can be

hosed off and allows the redwood deck to breath!

The deck was also resealed.

I adore the two chairs, below, that Cindy says she has had for 7-10 years.

They only needed new cushions, which she bought at JoAnn's, 70% Clearance.

I would love to see more of the gorgeous Utah mountains

 that we get a peek of in the photo!

Cindy color coordinated the space so well in soothing, relaxing aquas,

 and salmon accents.

The space was completed with a table and stools added early in the season.

 They are enjoyed by, and have gotten lots of use from, 

Cindy's grandaughters this summer.

Cindy sure has inspired me to makeover my back door space!

She's also a very skilled seamstress!

Some of her sewing creations can be seen {here}.

Thanks Cindy, for letting me share your oasis! ;)

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Sharing Post At:
McCall Manor - Your Inspired Design
Poofing The Pillow - Thoughts of Home
My Thrift Store Addiction - Vintage Charm
Julie's Lifestyle - Cooking & Crafting With J&J
Between Naps On The Porch - Met Monday
Celebrate & Decorate - Celebrate Your Story
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home

The Rooster's Last Hurrah

 

Over the last month,

I've been purging and cleaning closets and cabinets every spare chance I get,

accumulating a large pile for a yard sale I hope to have in October.

Sounds like a lovely way to spend a Saturday night, right?

When we first moved in the house,

roosters and chickens were a popular trend,

and I was all too happy to jump on that bandwagon.

I must admit, I went a little overboard,

...my kitchen for a time, looked like a bona fide hen house.

"Too much of a good thing, can be too much!"  ha!

I've since weeded through the chicken and rooster decor,

selling a lot of it when I had my "junk booths,"

storing a few items, and still displaying a piece of two.

I found the long forgotten set of eight salad size rooster plates

tucked in the back of a kitchen cabinet.

Thought it would be fun to put together a little tablescape,

"one last hurrah," before they hit they hit the yard sale stash.

The cute dishes were paired with The Pioneer Woman towels,

 square white dinner plates, and green lucite handle forks.

A casual setting for two at the kitchen island...

The one rooster that will remain, is the lamp!

It was the first item I bought for my kitchen twelve years ago,

and I still adore it!

A new TJ Maxx find, below,

holds a few blooms and fern from the container gardens on the porch.

  

I feel somewhat like a traitor,

trading off my chickens for a new love... cows!

But I've vowed to not obsess over them!

...all in moderation!  :)

So if you're wondering the need for purging our home...

We've decided to sell our house.

I suppose if you announce it on social media, that makes it official, huh?

It's been the plan for years, that when our youngest reached driving age,

we would sell and move to our farm.

 "Our baby" just began his senior year in high school.

And a big incentive, moving will put us 30 minutes closer to work.

The farm, which is now in Mr. Ramblings' hands,

 has been in his family for over 100 years, and on it sits an old farm house,

 where several generations were raised.

Long story short,

the farm house is far from ready to move in,

this house is not ready for the market just yet,

so during the transition time, we'll be living at the lake.
We'll be moving there after our summer rentals are fulfilled.

The process seems a little daunting and overwhelming, but in the end, 

we think it'll be well worth it, and we're pretty excited!

My uncle has a saying,

"How do you eat an elephant???

...one bite at a time!"

So goes this journey... stay tuned!  :)

_______________________

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Julie's Lifestyle - Cooking & Crafting With J&J
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Simple Nature Decor - Dream Create Inspire
Sadie Seasongoods - Talk of The Town
DIY By Design - Sizzle Into Summer
McCall Manor - Your Inspired Design
Poofing The Pillows - Thoughts of Home
My Thrift Store Addiction - Vintage Charm
Between Naps on The Porch - Tablescape Thursday

Reflections Of Fall

Thirty five days until fall!

This has been a hot, humid, wet summer for us in my part of the Carolinas.

I, for one, welcome the transition to my favorite season, fall!

I was browsing through my posts from last year and wanted to share 

a few highlights from Fall 2015!

In August, I started getting ready to the season by crafting a few

Vintage Doorknob Pumpkins.

An old faux pumpkin got a pretty, blingy makeover with toile and rhinestones,

in "Diamonds" (& Toile) are a Pumpkin's Best Friend.

The dining room was the first of be decorated for fall,

with A Fall Dining Table Arrangement in an old dough bowl.

After a trip to the local pumpkin patch, I added unique pumpkins in different

spots around the house!

On the official first day of Autumn, I shared the antique Icebox

decorated for fall, and a few other shots in the kitchen.

Before the season wrapped up, I invited readers into my home virtually

with a Fall Home Tour '15 Part One

and Tweaking... Fall Home Tour Part Two.

For the outside of our home,

I recruited Mr. Ramblings help, and one of his big green tractors!

My crafty daughter, Ashley, painted the cute pallet sign.

And A Versatile Lamp For The Seasons was decked out with burlap
 and a big sunflower for the front porch.

I couldn't let the season pass without sharing Ashley's Lilly P. Inspired Pumpkins! 

 Made for her apartment, weren't they precious???  :)

We had several guest parties staying at the lake during fall,

so I crafted a few Pumpkins With A Nautical Touch, to greet them on the kitchen table.

Fall decorating will be delayed for us this year.

...More on that Monday!

When are ya'll planning to start?

Under different circumstances,

 I'd be real tempted to start easing a little out this weekend!  ;)

Thanks for visiting!

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Sharing Post At:
Decor To Adore - Thoughts of Home
My Thrift Store Addiction - Vintage Charm
McCall Manor - Your Inspired Design
The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home
Julie's Lifestyle - Cooking & Crafting With J&J
Between Naps on the Porch - Met Monday
Celebrate & Decorate - Celebrate Your Story!
The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Simple Nature Decor - Dream Create Inspire
Sadie Seasongoods - Talk of the Town
DIY By Design - Sizzle Into Summer
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday