The Yellow Cape Cod

The Story Behind My Trees Featured In Romantic Homes Magazine!

I'm really excited to have two of my Christmas trees featured this month in one of my favorite magazines, Romantic Homes! I'm especially excited because these particular trees are really good examples of how Christmas decorating doesn't have to be expensive or difficult to be beautiful and have a ton of meaning!

My trees are featured on pages 78 and 79. The article shares some really good tips on holiday decorating, positioning your tree, using ribbons and layering ornaments. It is a fun piece with lots of good advice. In addition to all of these tips, there is another side to the story of these trees with juicy behind-the-scenes details that I would like to share with you today.

The first tree was decorated with sentimental objects and ornaments from the thrift store! Yes, you heard me correctly, the thrift store. My Goodwill tree made it into a magazine and it cost less than $10 to decorate! Not only was this tree extremely cost effective, but it has a lot of meaning.

Here is the story…

A few summers ago, a fun family day of thrifting with my sisters, Buffy and Laura, my daughter, Hannah, and niece, Taylor, changed my master bedroom Christmas tree forever.

It went from being a small table top tree decorated with baby momentos to a full sized tree that represents five generations of our family.

Here is how it happened…

At first we weren't having much luck thrifting, but we were having a ton of fun together. We were laughing and joking about our bad luck day when we hit the mother load.

The entire Christmas aisle was on sale, 75% off.

I was able to snag 200 Christmas ornaments for less than $10. In the spirit of full disclosure, we did have to do some bartering for that price. We had fun with that too ...five girls who were way too excited about Christmas in the middle of July ...hard for the manager to say no to.

The overabundance of ornaments was just what my tree needed to take it from a small, table top baby tree to a full sized 5 generation family tree. After collecting these additional ornaments, I had to upgrade to a full sized tree.

The decorations represent many generations of our family, from babies to Great Grandma.

Pictures of each of my children on their first birthdays were placed in little gold hanging frames.

The family Christening gown (handmade by my Mom and worn by the babies on our extended family) was placed next to the tree; not only was it really pretty but it reminded us of the day each baby in our family was Baptized.

Of course baby shoes from each of my little ones were hung from the tree as they are every year.

Our Great Grandmother's hankie, our Grandmother's vintage costume jewelry, a cherished ornament with a handwritten message from my late father,

and childhood photos of my husband and I rounded out the family tree display.

What I loved most about this tree is not only how it brings the whole family together in a festive way, but how it reminded me of the fun we had together the day it was inspired at the Salvation Army. Spending an afternoon with family resulted in something we will enjoy for many years.

The second tree featured in Romantic Homes on page 79, was my daughters table top tree.

The year this tree was decorated, I decided to loosen up and let the kids participate in the decorating more than I had in the past. The result was true perfection. Not the kind of perfection we strive for when decorating but a more pure perfection, straight from a child's heart.

Hannah was 11 when she decorated this tree.

She had recently re-designed her bedroom, so I gave her a $25 budget to spruce up her Christmas tree to coordinate with her new bedroom design.

She combined new decorations with special ornaments she has collected over time.

Each ornament represented a different phase in her life.

Her tree skirt was her first ballet tutu. Oh, how I miss the ballet phase...

She decided to layer a small turquoise sequenced tree skirt from The Dollar Tree over the tutu.

(Good call, Hannah).

She chose a white tree with multi- colored lights.

Looking at this tree reminds me of how she has grown. Stayed tuned for our 2015 Christmas tour to see how this tree (and her bedroom) has evolved into the teenage years.

Be sure to grab a copy of Romantic Homes December 2015 edition for lots of gorgeous Christmas decor inspiration, project tutorials and decorating advice. It's a Holiday 2015 coffee-table-must-have!

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Learn To Build A Wooden Stocking Hanger

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Every year around this time I get the itch to start my Christmas decorating (and I know I'm not the only one). Thanks to The Home Depot's DIH Workshop, I got started a little early this year! If you want to get a jump start on your Christmas decor and you would like to try your hand at a simple DIY project, then you will love the project featured at this month's DIH workshop…The Wooden Stocking Hanger.

Check it out:

Isn't it adorable?! Come out and learn how to make one at your local Home Depot this month during their free DIH Workshop! There are so many ways to customize this project to fit into your decor. I made one last week and I put my own personal twist on it. I have to say, I love the way it turned out and I can't wait to show it to you!

PLEASE CLICK HERE to register for a workshop in your area!

The Home Depot DIH Workshops. are FREE, live, in-store workshops held throughout the country for Do-it-Herselfers of ALL ages and skill levels. These workshops offer step-by-step instructions on how to make simple home improvement projects with easy to operate power tools. Whether you are an experienced DIY-er or have never touched a power tool in your life, these interactive, demonstration-style workshops are a great opportunity to pick up tips and advice from the pros! These workshops are held on the third Thursday of each month at all Home Depot locations. Throughout the year I will be co-hosting live DIH workshops at various Home Depot stores.

This month I will be hosting the DIH Workshop live from Toledo, Ohio located at 3200 Secor Road Toledo, Oh 43606.

If you live in the Toledo area, I would love to see you there! Please don't forget to pre-register. In addition to hosting the live workshop, I will also be sharing my customized version of this project right here on the blog. The Home Depot challenged me to make a personalized version of the Wooden Stocking Hanger and I am in love with the way it turned out. I'll be back next week to share it with you!

*This post is sponsored by The Home Depot

Perfect Kids DIY Project-How To Make a Mosaic Garden Stone

This post is sponsored by The Home Depot.

Have you ever wanted to get your kids more involved in the gift giving process or teach them the joy of making something by hand and gifting it to someone? If so, then today's DIY project is for you! This Mosaic Garden Stone project is a quick and easy DIY that kids of any age can participate in. It can be personalized in so many ways, it's a great opportunity for the kids to express themselves. AND…It's a perfect holiday gift for kids to make for their Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Teachers, etc. (You know, the people we love most, but never know what to give them).

This Saturday, I will be at The Kids Workshop at The Home Depot store located in Walker, Michigan along with Team Depot helping over 200 kids create patriotic themed Mosaic Garden Stones to gift to our Veterans. I can't wait to share all the details including the location where the stones made by the children at the workshop will be placed. It is going to be very special, stay tuned for details in my post on Veterans Day! In the meantime, I'd like to share the "How-To" for this project by using this Mosaic Garden Stone as an example. It's a stone that my kids worked on and will be giving as a Christmas gift this year.

Supplies:

Plain Concrete Stepping Stone (any shape)

Decorative River Pebbles or Stones

Thin-Set Mortar

Pre-Mixed Grout (any color)

Cement Stain (optional)

Detail Paint Brush (if using Cement Stain)

Rustoleum 2x Painters Touch Spray Paint (in assorted colors)

Rustoleum 2x Clear Coat Spray Paint

Sharpened Pencil or Skewer Stick

Trowel

Bucket, Sponge, Thick Rubber Gloves

Clean Cloth

*Before you begin, find a place to work where it is safe to make a little bit of a mess. I found out through this experience that the kitchen table was not the best location. The garage was better.

The first step is to plan out your design. If you would like to do the kids' hand prints, trace them on plan paper and cut them out. Arrange them in a way that they will fit on your paver.

Open the river pebbles, rinse them off and place them in the sun to dry. Once they are clean and completely dry, paint them using the Rustoleum Spray Paint and allow them to dry.

Using a notched trowel, apply 1/2" layer of thin-set mortar to the top of the concrete paver.

Once the mortar is in place, use the pencil or skewer stick to etch out your pattern or design. In my case, we placed the hand print cut-outs on the mortar and traced them.

The next step is the fun part. Press the pebbles gently, but firmly into the mortar and watch the design come to life. The thin-set mortar begins drying as soon as it's applied, therefore it's important to keep this step moving along quickly.

Once the stones are all in place, remove excess mortar and allow to dry overnight.

Once the mortar has cured overnight, it is ready for grout. Using the trowel or a spatula, spread grout across the top of the stone pushing it gently into the crevices. Remove excess grout and lightly skim the sides of the stone with a smooth layer.

Using a wet sponge, wipe away the thick layer of grout rinsing the sponge often along the way until the pebbles begin to show through. Be sure to wear gloves during this step. Try not to remove too much grout, as you don't want the mortar to show. Remove just enough that your design comes through. Allow to dry 24-48 hours until grout is completely dry and then buff grout residue from pebbles with a soft cloth.

At this point, you may decide that your project is finished. If that is the case, give it a quick coat of Rustoleum 2x Gloss Clear Coat spray paint and it's done! If you want to add more depth and contrast before you call it finished, hold off on the Clear Coat for now and grab a bottle of Cement Stain and a small detail paint brush.

Mix a few drops of Cement Stain at a time to 2 cups of water until you reach your desired color. Then apply cement stain to the areas in which you would like to add color to the grout. In this example, we used a small paint brush to fill in the area around the hand prints.

Once the stain has dried overnight, give the stone a coat of Rustoleum Clear Coat, allow it to dry and your stone is finished! There are so many variations of this project, I chose to use river pebbles to keep this project cost effective and kid friendly. If you are not as budget concious, you could easily substitute ceramic tiles or decorative glass stones to create your design. If your children are older and able to handle sharper materials, broken china can be used to create something really extraordinary.

This project obviously requires adult supervision and assistance. The amount of your childs involvement will depend on their age and skill level. However, putting the pebbles in place, choosing the colors, and drawing or designing the pattern are all steps that kids can do. These are also the steps where they can be creative and allow their personality to show through in the project while making it with their special family member in mind.

For more information on The Home Depot Kids Workshop or to register for a workshop near you, please click here.

Online Design Services are now available. Please click here for details.

* I acknowledge that The Home Depot Foundation is partnering with me to participate in this Celebration of Service program (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot Foundation and its non-profit partners. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.

Moody Blue and Steely Gray Design Plan

Before the holiday posts begin, I'd like to take a little time to share what we have been busy working on every day behind the scenes. I'm very excited to have our online design services available again after being booked for the past few months. If you are interested in learning more about our online design plan service, please click here for details.

This is a project we just wrapped up for some (very special) returning clients, Gary and Chris...

(Living Room)

They have been busy making updates and improvements to their home, including beautiful, brand new hardwood floors, fresh paint, new furniture and beautiful upgrades to their kitchen. They asked us to create a design plan that would finish off the Living Room and Kitchen to make them feel complete.

(Kitchen)

Using the fantastic paint color palette chosen by my clients (BM Symphony and BM Adagio), and the gorgeous new dark hardwood flooring and cabinetry they installed as our guide, we got to work creating a custom design plan to help them tie the two spaces together and give their home a finished look.

(Living Room and Kitchen)

Accessories, new upholstery, rugs, toss pillows and stunning new window treatments were carefully chosen to give the spaces a fun, fresh, transitional design that Gary and Chris appreciate. We selected large scale items that will have big impact in the space. Large scale items allowed us to use the "less is more" theory while achieving a completely finished look.

*One sneaky design trick that we used in this plan to create seamless flow between the two spaces was to repeat the same rug in both rooms. Gary and Chris already have the rug in a circle shape in the living room in front of the fireplace. Our suggestion is to purchase the same rug in a large rectangular shape to place under the dining table in the kitchen.

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for more of our recent design projects!

Product Sources:

Floor Lamp

Potted Artificial Grass