Happy Monday!
How was your holiday weekend? Wasn't it fabulous to still have the weekend to recover after Christmas on Friday? For the first time in a long time, I felt like I completely relaxed and enjoyed what was going on around me. I hope that you can say the same. It is almost hard to go back to my normal workday schedule today!
As 2015 comes to a close, I thought I would share a look back at some of my most popular DIY posts from the year. It has been an exciting twelve months and I can't wait to see what 2016 holds. I have big plans for this blog and my life and hope to be able to share them with you sometime this week.
For today, though, let's focus on the past, shall we? I'd love to know......which one of these projects was your favorite from the year?
How was your holiday weekend? Wasn't it fabulous to still have the weekend to recover after Christmas on Friday? For the first time in a long time, I felt like I completely relaxed and enjoyed what was going on around me. I hope that you can say the same. It is almost hard to go back to my normal workday schedule today!
As 2015 comes to a close, I thought I would share a look back at some of my most popular DIY posts from the year. It has been an exciting twelve months and I can't wait to see what 2016 holds. I have big plans for this blog and my life and hope to be able to share them with you sometime this week.
For today, though, let's focus on the past, shall we? I'd love to know......which one of these projects was your favorite from the year?
Can you believe that next week at this time will be Christmas?!?! Crazy how fast this month has gone......and the whole year quite frankly.
The weather has been extraordinarily warm here and Christmas day looks like it will be in the mid-fifties and sunny. Not typical weather for a day in central PA when most expect snow, but to be quite honest I'm totally fine with it. The older I get, the more I think I'd be perfectly happy living in a warm southern climate.
I've still got a few posts planned for next week, but I'm also planning some time for just sitting back and enjoying the season and time with family and friends. Since the holidays are falling on Fridays, this is it for the series this year. I'm guessing we all have a few more interesting things to keep us busy for a couple weeks!
So here is the final Friday Favorites of 2015. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend my friends!
As a courtesy to the bloggers I've featured, please pin these images from their
own posts using the links provided. Thanks!
Personalized Wrapping || Boxwood Clippings
Happy Friday, sweet friends. I hope that your weeks are beginning to fill with the joy and wonder of the holiday season. It is time to slow down and take in the beautiful decorations you've taken the time to display, turn on some holiday tunes, and sip a cup of hot chocolate or peppermint coffee. Fully immerse yourself in the Christmas spirit so that you don't wake up on December 26 with regret and realize that it is all over for another year. I'd love to hear what you are doing this year to really be present in celebrating the real reasons for the season.
Last week for Friday Favorites, I focused on some of my favorite images from the Cherished Christmas Home Tour that I took part in. Today I thought I'd branch out to some of the many other tours happening and share a few of the pictures that I found most inspiring. For the most part, they are all very simple and clean. It has me already thinking about my decorating for next year!
Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday!
Last week for Friday Favorites, I focused on some of my favorite images from the Cherished Christmas Home Tour that I took part in. Today I thought I'd branch out to some of the many other tours happening and share a few of the pictures that I found most inspiring. For the most part, they are all very simple and clean. It has me already thinking about my decorating for next year!
Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday!
As a courtesy to the bloggers I've featured, please pin these images from their
own posts using the links provided. Thanks!
This recipe for Sour Cream Cookies that has been passed down through the generations of my family will likely turn out to be one of your favorite cookies for Christmas baking or anytime of the year.
Happy Friday friends! It has been the strangest week. After the Thanksgiving holiday, a Black-Friday weekend shopping trip, and not having to go to work on Monday because of the first day of hunting season (yes, I live in a rural area!), I've never gotten quite on track with what day it is. Now that Friday has finally come, maybe I can get caught up and back to a normal schedule.
I hope that your week has been going well. Unless you've been cut off from the internet over the past week, I'm sure that you've been aware that home tours have been popping up everywhere! It is always an exciting time of year to see how everyone has transformed their homes for the holidays. I've been pinning like crazy!
Good Friday morning, friends. I hope that your week has gone well!
This past week, I took a little social media break. If you follow me on Pinterest or Instagram you may have noticed that I wasn't really around. I don't know about you, but there are times when I feel like I am on inspiration overload. With so much to look at, it starts to get a little overwhelming and unenjoyable. Sometimes I like to step back and focus on my own projects and creating my own inspiration. Do you ever feel that way?
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for stopping by for another week of my Friday Favorites. I love sharing the things that have inspired me through the week in the hope that they might be something that you enjoy as well. I find that I am at my most creative when I am surrounded by things that constantly make me look at things in different ways.
There is a bit of everything here today including a Thanksgiving craft, some industrial farmhouse decorating ideas, and a little something for your taste buds.
Do you see anything here that is your favorite, too?
The hardest area of the home to declutter is the sentimental items that you store as keepsakes, but there are a few decluttering tips to keep the amount manageable and in order.
Welcome to the final post in our decluttering series! Today we are each discussing sorting through sentimental items like photographs and keepsakes.
In the book, author Marie Kondo suggests doing this category of possessions last because they are the hardest to get rid of. Through practice in decluttering clothes, books, and the other items in your home you should be more prepared for knowing what you should and shouldn't keep in terms of sentimental items.
Welcome to the final post in our decluttering series! Today we are each discussing sorting through sentimental items like photographs and keepsakes.
In the book, author Marie Kondo suggests doing this category of possessions last because they are the hardest to get rid of. Through practice in decluttering clothes, books, and the other items in your home you should be more prepared for knowing what you should and shouldn't keep in terms of sentimental items.
Ah, Friday....how I love you so.
Do you find the end of the week as refreshing as I do? You know that by the time you've reached Friday that you have almost made it to the weekend. And that is glorious. Unless of course you have to work on Saturday and then Friday isn't so glorious.
For the past few weeks, my weekends have involved with going out of town and out of the house. I'm a girl who likes to be at home and I am so looking forward to a couple days where I don't have to leave. There is still plenty to do with work to be done outdoors to clean up from fall and preparations for a lot of upcoming events and projects.....but I can be at home to do it all.
A little sanding and paint is all this vintage piece needed to be a rustic coat rack perfect for the entryway!
In case you weren't aware, today is Friday. Can anyone point me in the direction of where my week went?
After posting six (and a few times seven) days a week through September and into October, I think I finally mentally crashed and needed a bit of a break. The past few days of not posting has given me a chance to regroup and just relax a bit. I actually had a few minutes to spend reading some of my favorite blogs and browsing Pinterest, which doesn't happen much anymore.
I'm ready to enjoy the weekend and then get busy again next week. And just as a little FYI, it is looking like it is going to be a week devoted to things to hang on the wall. It wasn't intentional that all of my projects ended up falling under that category, but it happened. I think we all have some walls that could be decorated, right?
This flavorful Spiced Pumpkin Coffee Cake is so quick and easy to prepare thanks to it's semi-homemade recipe that includes pumpkin flavored pudding and a box cake mix. But no one needs to know just how simple it is when you serve the delicious treat for breakfast or an after-dinner dessert.
Technology is one area of your life that can become cluttered quickly. Whether it is your computer, cell phone, storage devices, or inbox, it is important to spend time decluttering regularly to keep the job manageable.
An area that I really seem to be struggling with right now is in technology. USB drives, camera cards, my computer desktop, cell phone, and even my Pinterest boards. We've been defining clutter as anything that overwhelms life and your home and keeps you from being productive. Does your technology world overwhelm you?
Happy Friday! I hope that you have had a wonderful week.
Did you have a chance to check out all the great pumpkin ideas this week as part of Pumpkin Palooza with Country Living Magazine? It is such a dream come true to even be able to think about something that I've created showing up on my favorite magazine's website. It is something that I can now cross off my dream to-do list.
Basic craft store pumpkins are updated with chalk paint in shades of green and an easy dry-brushing technique. They now have the texture and color variations of real pumpkins!
Hi Everyone. Can I say that I am super glad that today is Friday? It has been one of those weeks. You know the kind where you just can't wait for it to be over?
Heavy rains moved into my area on Tuesday and it put down well over five inches......a couple inches of which ended up in my basement. It was quite an unexpected shock because when I was in the basement at 4PM there was nothing, but by 6 the water was over the entire floor. Needless to say there was quite a mess, but luckily anything that can get ruined is stored up off the floor. It is just a job to get everything moved and dried out.
Learn how to create an easy DIY preserved leaf tree to bring a bit of nature indoors to decorate your home for fall.
Happy Sunday! I hope that your weekend is going well. Today is the next installment in our decluttering series. Have you been following along on the journey to finding what possessions bring you joy?
In case this is your first time here, each Sunday I'm joining some of my blogging friends in posting about my views about how to gain control over your clutter. Many of us are focusing on things that we learned from The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Links to everyone participating appear at the end of this post.
Good Friday morning to you all. I'm so happy to have you stopping by to see some of my favorite things that I've found this week while browsing through the internet. My hope is that you'll always leave here on Fridays inspired and maybe even introduced to some different blogs. One of my favorite things to do when I have time is to actually click through the pins I find on Pinterest (crazy, I know!) and browse around some new blogs. There are times that I can just tell that a specific pin is going to lead me to an inspiring site. A couple of today's favorites are from my must-read blog list, but a few are from websites I've never visited before and I really enjoyed having a look around a new space.
One of the biggest sources of clutter in our homes is having an excess of accessories and beauty products that we never use. Learn the secrets of decluttering this area of your home and keep the clutter from returning ever again.
Welcome back to the third week in our series on decluttering and sparking joy. This week we are digging into our accessories and beauty products.
This is an area where I think many of us struggle with clutter and having an excess of things we don't use because accessories and beauty products are relatively inexpensive and we want to experiment with new things. Today's post will teach you everything you need to know to overcome this problem and I've created a few helpful printables to help you as well.
Happy Friday friends! I hope that you have all had an amazing week. This one was a busy one for me trying to get some projects and posts done. Next Wednesday I'm participating in a Farmhouse Fall home tour so much of my time has been spent trying to prepare for showing off a few spaces for you. I also finally got around to painting the Hobby Lobby pumpkins I purchased after Thanksgiving last year. They are looking fantastic and fitting right into my vision. Isn't it a great feeling when plans actually work out as you expect?!?!
The first place to start decluttering your home is in your drawers and closets. Sorting through your clothes to find what you actually wear and love can make a big difference and will make getting dressed in the morning easier! Read on to learn the tips to decluttering your wardrobe once and for all.
There are probably very few of us who don't have more clothes than we could ever possibly wear. It is said that we all wear just 20% of our clothes, 80% of the time and I completely believe that is true. Clothes are the easiest things to replace, yet seem to be one of the hardest to part with.
Happy Friday to you all. I hope your shortened week has gone well. I must say that I'm happy to see that the weekend is here again!
Today I'm back with another post on my weekly favorites. I hope you enjoy all the things I found interesting over the past week.
See you back here on Monday!
Fall is the perfect season to create a warm and cozy home and it doesn't cost a lot of money, take a lot of decor, or require special skills. These easy tips will help you create a welcoming house this season!
Before you sort through a single possession when decluttering your home, you have to understand what clutter is and how you want you space to look and feel when it is done. This first post in a six part series guides you through this important beginning step.
I always feel the need to declutter and organize in the fall. Something inside of me associates the season with new beginnings. A new school year has always signaled a fresh start. For that reason, our decluttering series is starting as we enter into the month of September.
When I posted a survey over a month ago, there was a resounding cry for a desire to learn about getting your life back on track. Ninety-seven percent of you who took the survey said that you are interested in decluttering. And over half of you are interested in the book that is taking the world by storm, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.
I always feel the need to declutter and organize in the fall. Something inside of me associates the season with new beginnings. A new school year has always signaled a fresh start. For that reason, our decluttering series is starting as we enter into the month of September.
When I posted a survey over a month ago, there was a resounding cry for a desire to learn about getting your life back on track. Ninety-seven percent of you who took the survey said that you are interested in decluttering. And over half of you are interested in the book that is taking the world by storm, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.
Happy Friday, everyone! Today starts the beginning of the end of the summer season. Can you believe how fast those months went? The upcoming week looks like it will be warm where I'm at, though, so I'm not giving up on summer quite yet!
I'm out doing some antiquing today with my mom, so there will likely be some great finds showing up here next week. I don't typically come home empty handed from anywhere! I hope to share a few of my favorite shops and purchases on my Instagram page over the next few days.
There seems to be a new trend in furniture of having chairs that are deconstructed. Rather than perfectly upholstered pieces, we're seeing chairs that look as though they are waiting for the next step in the upholstery process. I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the look. Part of me loves the pretty (aka expensive) Restoration Hardware chairs, but some make me feel like the trend has gone too far.
Learn how to transform faux flowers, leaves, and berries into realistic looking branches
to use for decorating your home.
A little paint and distressing is all these shelves needed to become
aged architectural corbels perfect for decorating.
A glass creamer and trimmings from a bush make a beautiful and free flower arrangement to brighten your home.
Declutter your home and life once and for all with this series that focuses on guidance from the book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo.
One of my favorite tasks is cleaning and organizing. I like getting rid of things. A good before and after picture makes my heart beat fast. And I whole-heartedly believe that my life would be easier and more enjoyable if I had fewer possessions.
Affiliate links are provided in this post for your convenience. For more information, you can view my disclosure policy.
One of my favorite tasks is cleaning and organizing. I like getting rid of things. A good before and after picture makes my heart beat fast. And I whole-heartedly believe that my life would be easier and more enjoyable if I had fewer possessions.
Easy and inexpensive way to create a DIY faux boxwood wreath for you home decor.
A basic looking yard-sale shelf is transformed into a rustic piece of furniture perfect for your farmhouse decor.
When shopping for items to decorate your home, consider looking for a whole "outfit"
and find pieces that are your style and go with one another.
Without a whole lot of work, a rusty plant stand can be repurposed and transformed into a stylish accent table for your deck.
Follow this simple diy tutorial to learn how to make budget-friendly chunky wood candle holders with a rustic farmhouse style using thrift store candlesticks.
Ah!!! This week's weather has been glorious!!! Sunshine. Warm temperatures. If I didn't know what the date is on the calendar, I'd swear summer was here. All that has really made me more productive and I got a few things done to share with you next week.
In other not so bright news, I've made the hard decision that this will be my last Friday Favorites post. It takes a lot more time to individually contact each blogger that I'd like to feature. As much as I enjoy spreading the love around and promoting my fellow bloggers, it is taking time away from creating and posting my own information. Plus, a lot of my favorites are from photographers and magazines that are not willing to have their pictures on other websites. My favorite things to pin (which is what my Friday Favorites started out as) are the things I'm not allowed to share. I may still do a favorites post once a month, and I'd like to do a few posts introducing you to some of the blogs that inspire me. But a weekly roundup must come to an end.
Would you believe that yesterday, April 23, there were blizzard-like conditions at times in PA? I posted this picture to Instagram in utter disbelief.
Today's forecast is much improved thankfully. It is difficult to work on a spring post while it is snowing outside!
There is really nothing that puts me in a positive and creative mood more than being able to take a walk through the neighborhood on a beautiful day. I've gotten to do that a few times this week, and my mind seems so much clearer. It is amazing how a simple walk can make it feel like anything is possible once again.
I'm lucky enough to live in a neighborhood with little traffic that is also a very short distance from a cemetery with a paved path. Some people may view walking through the cemetery as a little morbid or freaky, but can you really think of a more quiet and peaceful place to be?
Another quick and simple DIY project using old cutting boards that will keep you organized!
Ah! It was so refreshing to end a week without any snow or freezing temperatures. Could it be that spring has finally reached Pennsylvania? The daffodils are just starting to peek their heads above ground outside my house and it is sure a welcome sight.
I find that my mood is more positive and my outlook on the future is brighter when the weather is good. Would you agree? Of course, with that being said, I've gone another week being a little absent from posting. And it isn't that I don't have anything to say. I even have projects completed and photographed. But something has been blocking me from mentally getting anything accomplished....including answering the thoughtful comments that I've been getting. With any luck maybe that blockage will disappear along with the last remnants of winter.
Good morning to you friends! It feels so good to finally be back to sharing some of my favorites posts on Fridays.
As much as I love creating and sharing what I've done, it is fun to be able to share what my friends and other bloggers are doing as well, and I'm so happy to be back at doing that. (In case you hadn't been following along before, my Friday Favorites posts were put on hold for about a month. Even though we all love Pinterest and sharing things we find interesting, some creators are not as interested in their images being shared and choose to sue bloggers over their use of pictures in posts. I took a few weeks to figure out how I wanted to continue with my Friday Favorites.)
Happy Friday!
This week started with a plan and a list of things I wanted to accomplish. But as typically happens, that plan was taken out of my hands and "altered." Needless to say, things that I wanted to get done didn't see completion. The downside of working part time as a substitute teacher is that when you most need an afternoon to snap some pictures and finish a DIY, you are called in unexpectedly to teach. But there is no sense in complaining, especially since it looks like those circumstances are going to continue into the upcoming week. So, posts may be a little sparse....Or maybe I'll surprise myself and get everything done. I guess you'll just have to wait and see!
Exposure in photography refers to the amount of light allowed into your photos. If it is used correctly, exposure compensation has the ability to give you brighter and whiter pictures!
Today is likely our last Photography 101 lesson because we have pretty much covered the basics of adjustments on your camera. Some of you have mentioned that you're interested in learning about editing, staging, and what techniques go into taking good pictures so we'll begin covering those topics soon.
Our final lesson is about exposure compensation. This is useful after the adjustments have been made with aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. It is really one of my favorite adjustments, but can be easily overused.
We decorate entire rooms, but sometimes it is the smallest changes that put a smile on our face.
This easy solution for storing your dish detergent will instantly brighten your kitchen!
Did you realize that today is Friday? It seems like just a few days ago that I typed the last Friday Favorite post and now the day has rolled around again. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE Fridays and anxiously anticipate the end of the week. But I just don't know where my time is going lately.
In case you didn't notice, today is my first post for the week aside from yesterday's link party. I've been in a real mid-winter funk lately and just can't seem to get motivated to blog (or do much of anything else). Anyone else feeling the same way? The worst part is that I even have a couple posts pretty much done.....I just couldn't work up the enthusiasm to finish them. There is always next week, I guess!
Today's post is going to be short and sweet. Thursday was and birthday, and I normally try to do this post then. But who wants to work on their birthday, right?!?! Luckily, I already had some favorites picked out so part of the job was already done.
My mom made me a fabulous turkey dinner (and yummy cheesecake) to celebrate. It is hard to believe I'm 32 because I don't feel that old. And I was told by someone last week that they thought I was 25, so I guess I don't look that old, either.
I hope you enjoy my slightly shortened post today and have a fabulous weekend. It sounds like it is going to be another frigid one in my neck of the woods, so I'm seeing a few days of curling up under a blanket in my future!
If you need some pretty new labels for your spice jars in the kitchen, these are the ones for you! There is a free printable page, plus, I'm sharing tips on how to make them yourself.
How are you surviving through this lovely winter weather? So much of the country seems to be having their fair share of snow, cold, and wind. The snow on the ground around my house is now as high as my porch, so any more snowfall and I'll be shoveling up onto a pile to get out of my house. And the snowplow piles are about twice that high. It could be so much worse, though, I suppose!
I'm really excited about all the things I've been seeing on Pinterest lately and have been pinning like crazy! So that I don't overwhelm my followers and so that each week's favorites can be a surprise, I have a secret Pinterest board just for my Friday Favorites. Right now it is so full of inspiration that I can take a break of a couple weeks away from searching.....but the liklihood of me staying off of Pinterest that long is pretty slim! If you're interested in following along with what I'm pinning, click here.
So, here are these week's ten favorites......
Old kitchen gadgets and cookbooks can be fabulous things to use when decorating. See how to use these treasures to style a shelf in the kitchen!
Are you lacking in storage space in your bathroom? If so, fill a unique basket with rolled up bath towels to save on room in the cupboard and add a little bit of personality to the space!
Do you have any used wood cutting boards that you don't know what to do with? This tutorial will show you how to easily repurpose theminto decorative DIY word art for your kitchen!
Well, yesterday ended up being another snowy day. Luckily there wasn't the ice in my town that some places saw, but the roads were still slick. And there were still crazy drivers, one of whom thought he might pull out in front of me. Slamming on my brakes made my car do a little sliding dance in the road, but luckily it was just a short dance without any collision. Believe me when I say that I turn into a ninety-year-old woman driver when the snow starts to cover the roadways and would prefer just to stay home.
That's enough weather talk for today, though. I'm trying my best to embrace the good things about winter.....hot chocolate.....cute scarves.....furry snow boots......pretty snow-capped trees......OK, I'm out.
When the seal on your refrigerator or freezer is not tight, the appliance has to work harder and uses more energy. Fixing the problem is surprisingly easy and cheap, however, and anyone can tackle it!
I don't know about the weather where you are at, but it has been cold and snowy here. Today looks to be like it will be a clear day, though, so I'm rejoicing. Every clear day puts us one day closer to spring. Normally I'm much more in the mood to get projects done when the sun is shining!
This week just flew by. I can hardly believe that we are once again to Friday. I'll be back next week with a new series that I'm hoping you'll love, as well as a post on something that I'm doing to find a little joy in my day. Have a great weekend!
After two months, it is finally time to have another lesson in photography! Have you been working on your skills?
There are so many different things to know and remember as you take pictures for a blog, selling online, or capturing moments with your family. Reading a camera manual isn't much fun, so I'm taking things step by step here to help you learn and experiment in how to catch better shots with whatever type of camera you have.
This week has been wonderful since getting back into blogging after the holidays. I had planned on taking some time away to regroup, but it felt very right to come back when I did. 2015 is sure to hold great things and I can't wait to share them all with you.
On Wednesday I shared a post about not creating New Year's resolutions, but rather working towards finding joy in my life. The comments I received were heart warming and reassured me that I'm not in this quest alone. If you didn't get a chance to check that post, I'd love for you to take a look and let me know what your thoughts are.
Well, today is Friday and it's the day where I share all my favorite links of the week. I hope you find something that you like as well, and I'll see you back here on Monday!
Traditionally, a top posts recap falls at the end of a year or at least the very beginning of the new year. I had the best of intentions of doing that, but it is better late than never, right?
I also had the best of intentions of having a top 10 post, but somehow ended up with 11. Since the extra post happened to be one of my favorites, I chose to keep it.
It is so much fun to look back over what has been completed through the year. And I love seeing what types of posts have been viewed the most. Obviously, you enjoy DIY here because that is mainly what is in the top 10...or 11.
So, without further ado, here are the top 11 anderson + grant posts of 2014.
I also had the best of intentions of having a top 10 post, but somehow ended up with 11. Since the extra post happened to be one of my favorites, I chose to keep it.
It is so much fun to look back over what has been completed through the year. And I love seeing what types of posts have been viewed the most. Obviously, you enjoy DIY here because that is mainly what is in the top 10...or 11.
So, without further ado, here are the top 11 anderson + grant posts of 2014.
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Good Friday morning!
Have you been missing my weekly favorites? I honestly had planned on doing this post last Friday, but it totally slipped my mind until late on New Year's Day. Best laid plans, I guess. (There were also plans for an end of the year review, but that will have to wait until next week.)
I'm excited to be back to posting and have so many plans for this upcoming year.....ways to improve my life and see my blog grow. As so many of you seem to be doing, I've chosen a word of the year to focus on. Rather than create a list of resolutions that I know I won't keep, I picked an idea to guide me through the decisions I make everyday. I'll be introducing that one day next week, too, as well as sharing some of my goals.
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