Our Southern Nest

Pinterest Valentine's Day Ideas

2012-02-13T14:34:00.001-08:00

My son and I made these Valentine's Day goodies for his class this year. I saw the idea on Pinterest and knew that this is what we would do for his party. I think they super cute and not girlie, which is very important to an 8 year old.

My friend, Kari, has a little one in my in son's grade, and she and I decided to go in together to order labels for their Valentines. Kari found the cutest shop called Paisley Pear Designs by Amy Pearson. You can also view her website at www.paisleypeardesigns.com. She offers invitations for every occasions, birth announcements and note cards. I just love how the Valentine's turned out and I don't think I will ever go back to the prepackaged kind again.

That is why I LOVE Pinterest!! There were so many great ideas for Valentine's Day that I created a new board for future reference and below you will find a few of my favorites.

If you don't already follow me on Pinterest, click the button to the right to start!

Source: faboolous.blogspot.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: thecraftingchicks.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: colorfulcreativeideas.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: tammymitchellphotography.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: bhg.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Source: asmallsnippet.blogspot.com via Suzanne on Pinterest

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Creative Gift Ideas for Grandparents

2011-12-12T17:34:00.000-08:00

Our oldest son was 6 months old for his first Christmas. Jim and I were living in Florida and we were trying to be "creative" with our Christmas gifts to our parents. I was racking my brain one day about what to buy them when the idea came to me to paint his hands and feet to make a reindeer. I bought two canvases, painted a red border to make it look like a frame, and then put his handprints/footprints in the middle. The grandmothers loved it and a new tradition was born!

I would paint his hands and feet for the next six years and give them to his grandmothers. We made reindeer, Santas, angels and Christmas trees over the years. We soon added our niece, nephew and our second and third sons to the collection. I would also make one for myself and my sister-in-law. I wish I had a picture of the very first one so you could see how they have evolved over the years. I love displaying them each Christmas and the boys like seeing how much their hands and feet have grown.

I have painted them for many friends and have enjoyed creating these keepsakes for their families.

Below you will see my latest collection. I was inspired by a plate that I saw on Pinterest. This is my version on an 11"x14" canvas. I created the garland border with four shades of green and then added white highlights at the end.

I then added the red berries. I love how they pop against the blue.

Isn't this the cutest little foot that you have ever seen? I love baby toes!

Here is an example without the angels. I love how this turned out!

Here are some examples of what I have done with my boys over the years. Every year I display them somewhere different. One year I hung them on my cabinet doors. Another year, I had them hanging on the staircase wall.

This is a very easy project for anyone to do, and your children will love creating it with you. It would be cute with just a solid color background. I am sure you could use scrapbook paper somehow to make it even more interesting.

I hope this give you some inspiration. If you decide to give it a try, please send me a picture! I would love to see what you come up with!

Thanks for stopping by,

Our Southern Nest

Easy Holiday Centerpiece

2011-12-08T02:40:00.001-08:00

I did this quick and easy centerpiece last Christmas and decided to do it again this year. Here is what you will need:

Clear glass vases of different sizes
Oranges, lemons, limes, cranberries
Evergreen clippings
Floating candles
Water

First, you will want to layer a few cranberries at the bottom of the vase. I like to see the red cranberries throughout the arrangement. If you do not add some to the bottom, all of the cranberries will stay at the top. (I used two bags of cranberries for three arrangements.)

Next, you will add a couple of sprigs of greenery and then the citrus fruit. I alternated between the greenery and the fruit. I put an orange in first to help keep some of the cranberries at the bottom and then added two limes and a lemon. I then added some more sprigs of greenery, an orange, one lime and two lemons. I like to use an odd number of lemon and limes.

(*A note about the greenery- You will need very little greenery. If you use too much, you will not be able to see the fruit. You can either clip it from your live Christmas tree/garland, or you can use what you have in your yard. If you do not have access to either, you can go to Home Depot or Lowe's and ask them for some of the clippings from their Christmas trees. They usually have a big bin with a pile of greenery that has been cut from the bottom of the Christmas trees they have sold. It is FREE and I will usually go a couple of times during the holidays to replenish my greenery throughout the house.)

Last, you will want to fill the vase with water and top it off with a floating candle. You can find the floating candle at most craft stores. The arrangement will usually last 5-7 days. You will notice the water will start to become murky. I will drain the water when this happens and replace anything that is starting to look bad. You can also do this arrangement without the candle and it is still just as pretty.

The best place I have found to purchase the vases is TJ Maxx. They are super inexpensive and they will have a variety of sizes.

I do another version of this arrangement without water. I layered another vase I purchased from TJ Maxx with gold ornaments and greenery.

If you would like to see more pictures of our home during the holidays, please click HERE. This is a link to the 2011 Candlelight Tour post.

Thanks for stopping by,

Our Southern Nest

More Pictures from Candlelight Tour

2011-12-06T14:44:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of our master bedroom during the Candlelight Tour. I did not get them uploaded the first time around. One lady asked me where we purchased our bed. She said, "I bet you got that wonderful bed at Scott's Antiques." I laughed and said, "No ma'am. We found the bed on Craigslist." She just laughed and walk away. :)

2011 Christmas Candlelight Tour

2011-12-03T12:29:00.001-08:00

Last night we opened our home for the Candlelight Tour benefiting our local hospital auxiliary. There were five homes being featured in our neighborhood. It was a beautiful night and we had a wonderful time. I would first like to say thank you to my husband, family, and friends who helped me pull it all together. I could not have survived without them. I would also like to thank all of my friends who attended the tour. It was so great to see everyone of you and I wish we could have had more time to visit during the night. You will just have to come back again before Christmas is over!

So here we go! I will just be posting pictures (tons of them), but if you have any questions please feel free to email me. I will try to post some how-to's at a later date.

I would like to mention that the fabulous paintings in my keeping room and dining room were done by local artists, David Boyd Jr. and his sister Bonne Boyd Beddingfield. I wish I could say that we owned them, but alas, they were on loan for the evening. David and his wife, Julie, are great friends of ours and we are forever grateful to both of them for helping us out. You can view David's work online at Compelledtopaint.blogspot.com. You can also find him on Facebook. Bonne is also a sweetheart and is not only a talented painter, but makes the most beautiful cakes you have ever seen. You may remember that she is the one who made the fabulous pirate cake for our youngest son's birthday. You can view her work at dreampainter.blogspot.com or at fondontopia.com. Thank you Boyd family!!!

So there you have it! Sorry for all the picture, but believe it or not, I still have more I would like to share. I will try to get to it later this week. I hope you enjoyed your tour! :)

Thanks for stopping by,

Our Southern Nest

What Have I Been Up To Lately?

2011-11-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

This is what I have been up to lately.

I finally pulled the trigger and started reupholstering the two wing back chairs in the dining room. I feel certain that I have read all the tutorials ever written in blogland and watch all the videos on YouTube. I have even read a book or two on the subject. However, I have been very afraid to begin. What if I can't do it? What if I start and then cannot finish it? What if the chair is ugly? Ugh!!

Then I jump in with both feet and just started. I heeded the advice of many and took pictures as I took the chair apart and then I labeled and numbered each piece of fabric.

In my opinion, taking the chair apart was much harder and labor intensive than putting it back together again. Don't get me wrong, there have been some tricky parts. For example, I had no idea how to do the bottom front corners of the chair. The original fabric had seams sewn in the corners. I tried to match it but my seams did not match. If any one has any suggestions for me, please let me know. Here is my first attempt.

I did try it again, but I did it my way. I will try to get pictures of that later. It may not be the correct way to do the corners, but again, please leave suggestions in your comments or email me. I will be ever so grateful.

This was my stopping point last weekend. I ran out of fabric and there was this big football game on Saturday night. You might have heard about it, especially if you love SEC football. :)

I hope to finish the chair this weekend! There are tons of tutorial out there and I will list a few at the end of the post.

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Reupholstery Links:

The Creative Maven

DIY Upholstery Supply Video

Modest Maven

Country Living Fair Atlanta 2011

2011-10-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to the Country Living Fair in Stone Mountain. This was my first time to go to the fair and I was so excited! I had read many blogs about the fair last year and couldn't wait to see it all for myself.

It was a beautiful day and there were many in attendance. I will have to say I was somewhat disappointed. I saw many things that I loved, but nothing I just absolutely had to have that day.(There was the tunic that got away because I hesitated. :() I also thought that I had seen many of the things before either in stores or on blog land. My favorite part of the fair was the creative displays the vendors came up with to show their wares.

However, I am so glad that I went and I am looking forward to next year! Here are a few of my favorites from the fair.

Hueology-Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

2011-09-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

Let me just say that I love Pinterest! A friend of mine introduced me to it this summer, and I have spent countless hours searching, admiring and dreaming of projects ever since. This morning,as I browsed Pinterest,I found the most wonderful blog. If you are a fan of Annie Sloan chalk paint (and I know you are) you must go check out Hueology. MJ and Trish are the women behind Hueology and they have done some pretty amazing projects.

Here are a two of my favorites projects from their blog.

They have a great color chart with an explainations of each shade. Click HERE to view it!

The girls also teach classes from beginner to advanced and a few special projects inbetween. If you are in the Summerfield, North Carolina area you should go see them!

If you would like to see more photos of their work, you can find them on HERE on Facebook.

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

Yo Ho, Yo Ho...A Pirate Turns 3!

2011-09-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today is our little one's 3rd birthday. Last night we celebrated with a pirate bash for the Captain. Everyone came in their pirate or princess best and enjoyed lots of pirate games. We walked the plank, dug for treasure, and we even had a pirate tattoo parlor. We had a wonderful time and I am very thankful for all of our friends who came to help us celebrate. I will apologize in advance for so many pictures, but please be sure to scroll down to see the cake!

This is what greeted our guest as they arrived to the party.

I decorated our courtyard in red and black. You might recognize this concept from last year's Halloween decorations. I changed the colors from orange and black to red and black and viola! You have a pirate party! To see the Halloween version, please click here!

I do apologize for some of my pictures. I was running out of time and did not have the food on the table. I had every intention of having it perfect for the blog, but what can you do?! The Peg Leg were chicken wings, and the Cannonballs were sausage balls. I got the recipe for the sausage ball here and they were delicious!!!

I asked my neighbor's daughter and her friend to help me out with the party. They were in charge of the tattoo parlor and games in general. They were a HUGE help! Thanks Girls!!

The big kids and little kids had a great time with the beanbag toss game!

They also had a great time digging for buried treasure. The children search for pirate Silly Bandz, gold coins, diamond rings, beads, and pirate earrings. I purchased these items from Amazon, Century Novelty and Oriental Trading.

Here are a couple of pirates walking the plank!

My dear friend, Lorraine, made his pirate outfit for this occasion! Isn't he cute?! Below are some more cuties who wore their pirate or princess best!

The true star of the show, besides the birthday boy, was this awesome cake. My beautiful and obviously talented friend, Bonne, made it for us. The pictures do not do this cake justice. I wanted to cry while I was cutting it because it was just too pretty. Let me tell you one thing though. As good as the cake looks, it tasted even better! Yes, I know you probably think that isn't possible, but it is. The cake was amazing!! The top two tiers were a moist, chocolate cake, and the bottom tier was a white almond cake.

Bonne has a blog dedicated to her cake creations. Please check out Fondantopia to see her work! If you live in the Atlanta area, you should contact her for your next celebration. Be sure to tell her I sent you!

You can see that the little ones could not wait to get a slice of the pirate cake. Everyone wanted the pirate ship!

I reused some of my Halloween and Mardi Gras decorations to the kids table. The candelabras were purchased for Halloween a few years ago, and I put a few Mardi Gras beads and doubloons on the table for the children to wear.

I wish I had pictures of the courtyard at night! It was beautiful when the sun went down. I had so much fun putting the party together. I will be completely honest and tell you that I did not do everything I had intended. If I had more time, each child would have had a treasure map to follow to each activity. We would have stamped their map after they completed each activity and they would have been given a prize. I had also planned to do an art project with them, but they were having so much fun playing that I decided not to do it. However, I feel like I must share this with you so you will know that I am not perfect. The important thing is that our little one had a great birthday with his friends, and I had a wonderful time hanging out with mine! It was a wonderful day!

If you have not found Pinterest.com by now you need to check it out. I created a board just for this party. It was a huge help in giving me ideas and keeping me organized. Click here to see my board!

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

PS- I am linking this party to the following sites:

Pirate Party Update

2011-09-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Next week is the big event and we have been busy today trying to get the backyard ready. I finished the pirate sign that will greet our guest as they arrive.

I love our little pirate and the Captain loves him too!

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Getting Ready For A Pirate Party

2011-09-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

Our little one will soon be three and we are planning a pirate party for our captain. This weekend I finished ordering all the goodies for the pirate adventure and started making a few of the decorations. This buccaneer is almost ready for the big day. He will be welcoming our pirates and princesses to the party with a sign hanging from his mouth. The sign is still drying but I couldn't wait to share him with you. I will post another picture when he is completely finished.

My inspiration was from the thank you cards I purchased from Target. Below you will find a few detail shoots.

There is more to come while we get ready for a pirate party. Please be sure to check back to see what we have been up to.

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

Recycled Picture Frame

2011-09-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

This summer we started replacing the picket fence in the front yard. We were left with a pile of picket fence panels that were....um, perfectly aged? I thought to myself, "What to do, what to do, with all those panels?" Then the idea hit me! I could make distressed picture frames!

We had purchased a few painting from a local artist, David Boyd, Jr. I have mentioned him before in one of my posts, and if you have not had the chance to check out his work, you should. You can view his work on his blog, Compelled To Paint.

We watched a few videos on youtube.com and then just winged it. I hope to make more in the future. I do like them as is, but I also plan to sand and paint a few in different colors. The hardest part about the project is removing the pickets from the panel, and finding pickets that are not warped.

Whatcha think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint- My Turn To Jump On The Bandwagon

2011-07-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

I know by now that all of you have heard of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I first heard about it from Miss Mustard Seed a while back. I had been dying to try it ever since I read her post. Then many other blogs started writing about it as well. I just knew I had to try it but I didn't want to order online. I wanted to see the colors in person, but I didn't have a retailer in my area....or so I thought.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered a store in my area that sold Annie Sloan Chalk Paint while I was at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta. Color Me French is Georgia's only stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. They are located in Twist On Main in Senoia, Georgia. They offer workshops where you can learn about all the beautiful things you can create with this paint.

So the first thing I needed to do was decide what I was going to paint. I decided I would paint the little nook in our kitchen. As you can see, it is not very attractive. The formica table top totally clashed with our granite and the pew that was repurposed into bench seating was not that attractive. However, the boys love eating here because they feel like they are eating at McDonald's. This is not quite the look I wanted in the kitchen.

Please ignore the dog food bag in the background.

Now that I decided on what to paint, I hopped in my car and headed to Twist on Main. The ladies where very helpful and knowledgeable when answering my questions about the application of the paint. There were also different pieces painted throughout the store that I used as a reference when deciding which colors to purchase. I absolutely loved all the color choices and had a difficult time deciding what colors to go with. I finally decided to use Cream as my table top and Duck Egg Blue for the benches. Then I used the dark wax to glaze the benches.

I started painting the table top first. On the first coat, I used a brush to apply the paint and I had visible brush marks. I knew I would have to do another coat and I wanted an even coverage. The second coat gave me 100% coverage and I was satisfied. I did sand lightly after the second coat dried before applying clear wax to the table top.

For the benches, I did use a brush and had to apply two coats. I knew I would be distressing the benches so I didn't mind brush strokes this time. Let me just tell you how easy it was to distress the benches using this paint. It is a dream!!! I remember all of the times I had to use tons of elbow grease and/or an electric sander to create a distressed look. This paint is an answer to my prayers. All I had to do was lightly sand where I wanted to wood to show through, and in no time at all I had a finished project. After I sanded the benches, I clear wax to them before applying the dark wax. The ladies recommended doing this step so it would be easier to apply the dark wax. If I had skipped this step, the paint would have soaked up the dark wax making it harder to work with.

I have already started another project using this paint and have three more on the to do list. If you have not tried chalk paint yet (and I am sure most of you have), you should try it. And if you are in the Senoia area go check out Color Me French in Twist On Main! They will take good care of you.

Also, check out the video from the blog, Perfectly Imperfect. She gives you some really great tips about how to apply the wax.

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Getting Ready For The Beach

2011-05-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

We are counting down the days until we head to the beautiful beaches of South Walton. I can't wait to put my toes in the sand and watch my little ones play in the waves. While I was browsing through Etsy, I found the cutest beach bags from Lucy Jane Studio. As a mother of three, I can appreciate a stylish beach bag that is large enough to hold four towels and various water toys. The bonus for me was the reasonable price!

I think this is a great choice for a mom of 3 boys!

I love the handles on this bag.

Very Nautical

Love the pop of turquoise!

After you visit Lucy's Etsy shop, you should visit her blog. You can read it here.

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

2011-04-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

Today Mac and I went to an Easter Egg hunt that was hosted by our church's youth group. Mac had a wonderful time and found tons of eggs.

Whenever I see the Easter bunny and I always remember what our son, Owen, asked me when he was 4. He said, "Mommy, when the Easter bunny comes to our house will he come in my room?" I replied, "I don't think so honey." He said, "Good, because the Easter bunny really freaks me out Mommy." I thought to myself, you know he is right. It would be scary for a giganic rabbit to enter your house while you were sleeping. Thanks goodness he brings goodies or Owen would be setting traps for the Easter bunny.

Here are a few pictures from our egg hunt. The big boys were busy playing baseball so it was just Mac and me. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend.

Below is Mac with Owen. He is no longer afraid of the Easter bunny and can't wait to see what he leaves for him tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Hollywood Comes A-Knocking Again

2011-03-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

Our town has been busy the past few weeks. A movie starring Shia Labeouf just finished filming and a Disney movie has just begun. The house in the picture above is where the Disney movie will be filmed. If you click on the link below, you can read the article from the local newspaper. It mostly tells about road closures and traffic detours. Oh, the price we pay for fame! :)
Filming begins on Greenville Street - The Times-Herald

Happy Mardi Gras

2011-03-08T04:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Mardi Gras Everyone! If you do not live in a town that celebrates Mardi Gras, you, like me, might be dying to say "Throw me something mister". Or that could be just me. :) Any who, I decided to browse Etsy this morning to get my "mardi gras" fix.

Lesse bon temps rouler!

Rebecca Plotnick Photography

Rebecca Plotnick Photography

And if you would like to start your very own Mardi Gras parade in your hometown, you can buy a lovely crawfish float at this Etsy seller's shop. Just be sure to invite me!!!

Buy your own Mardi Gras float here

Etsy Finds

2011-03-01T14:24:00.000-08:00

I love blogs! I love bloggers even more! They are always sharing their latest ideas or their best finds. I was recently reading a post from Bryn Alexandra. She found these amazing pillow covers on Etsy. They are made from hand block print fabric, and I have not stopped thinking about them since I read the post. The name of the shop on Etsy.com is Giardino. The designer uses stamps to create wonderful designs on linen fabric. I thought I would share a few of my favorites from her shop. I also found a few other pillows from different designers and thought I would share those as well. You can find their stores by clicking the names under the pillows.

Giardino

Helkatdesign

Homesweet

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Hollywood Comes To Our Hood

2011-02-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

For past few days a filming crew has been getting the house across the street from us ready for a movie. As I type, Miss Dolly Parton and Miss Keke Palmer are filming scenes for the movie Joyful Noise. Last night, we were able to watch as Kris Kristofferson and Dolly rehearsed a dancing scene outside.

Here are some pictures of the crews setting up for the film. They will be here for three days so hopefully I will be able to share more. That is if I can sneak a picture here and there. They were not too keen of me taking pictures while they were filming or while the stars were outside.

Dolly is in the black SUV

This was parked in front of our house

Dolly and Kris dancing in the moonlight

Snow Week

2011-01-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

I would guess that those of you who live in the Atlanta area have CABIN FEVER just like me. Today was the first day that I actually ventured outside the house. I have never been so thankful to go to the grocery store in my life! I was so happy to see the sunshine today, and I pray that schools are back in session tomorrow.

Now just to be clear, the boys and I have enjoyed our "snow week", but it is time to move on. (Actually, I should name it "ice week" since we received more ice that snow.) During our time off the boys have enjoyed sledding around the neighborhood. We have consumed enough cookies, brownies, and hot chocolate to satisfy our sweet tooth for the next three months. I have managed to paint a few things in Tripp's room, install a new light fixture, organize our pantry, and drive Jim insane with a new updated "honey-do" list. Maybe I should wish for one more day home. Who knows what I could do tomorrow!

Stay warm everyone!!!
Our Southern Nest

Houzz Holiday Idea Book

2010-12-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

If you have not found the Houzz website yet, you are missing out...especially if you are remodeling or building a new home. I love searching their website for ideas and it gets better! If you sign up on their website, you can save all those wonderful pictures and create your own idea book! No more searching the web for that picture you saw that one time! Sound familiar?

Below you will find their latest post about Holiday Decorating. I thought I would share it with you just in case you were looking for something to do in your spare time before Christmas. ;) LOL!!!

50 Photos of Amazing Holiday Decorations

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Find Home Improvement Professionals- For Example:

Boston Architect · New York Interior Designer · Seattle Contractor · New York Landscaping ·

My Tomato Cage Christmas Tree

2010-12-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

Here is my version of the tomato cage Christmas tree. I used cedar garland purchased at Home Depot. I filled in with magnolia leaves that I borrowed from my good friend Beth! Enjoy!

Christmas Gift Wrapping Party

2010-12-14T14:19:00.000-08:00

Would you like to have a Girls Night Out and still get something accomplished on your Christmas "To-Do List"? I have the perfect solution for you! Invite a few friends over for a Christmas gift wrapping party!

Here are a few ideas to get you started. First, set up a gift wrapping station. I have used glass vases and canisters to to store gift wrapping paper, ribbons, raffia, pens and shredded paper. Your guests can pick and choose different combinations to wrap their gifts for family and friends.

There are many ways to make a bow to attach to your gift, but I will share how I do it. First, I make a loop and gather the ribbon in between my thumb and forefinger.

Then I make a second loop and gather the ribbon again in between my thumb and forefinger.

I continue to make loops and gather the ribbon in the center. I like to twist the ribbon before a make a new loop.

I continue to make loops until the bow is the size I would like it to be. I like to have an odd number of loops on each side of the bow. Next, you will need to take a pipe cleaner or piece of raffia to secure the bow in the center. You can see I am using raffia to secure my bow.

I wrap the raffia around the bow a couple of times and then tie it in a knot. I like to leave the end of the raffia long because I will then tie the bow to the present.

I will now attach the bow to the present by looping the raffia around the ribbon and tie it in a knot.

You can see that I have attached the bow to the gift and that I have left the raffia ends long.

Next I have made another bow, but this time I use red raffia. Once I have made the red bow, I place it on top of the green bow. I use the green raffia to attach to red bow to the larger green bow. Then I gather red shredded paper in the center and secure it with the green raffia.

All that is left to do is to attach a gift card. You can see that I used labels from Office Max for my gift cards. They are cheap and a box contains around 500 labels. I have been using the same box for a few years.

I found these 3D stickers at Michael's for 40% off. I used some of the on my gift labels and to adorn some of the presents.

Most of the gift wrapping paper I have used has either come from Hobby Lobby or from Nashville Wraps. I ordered all of the Wraphia ribbon, floral ribbon and shredded paper from Nashville Wraps. I love that company! I usually receive my order within two days of placing my order! The large ric rac ribbon that you see on some of the packages came from May Arts.

There you have it! Now you can host your own gift wrapping party! If you don't have time this year, put it on your to-do list for next year!

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

PS- I would like to say "Thank You" to Kari over at UCreate Parties! She most graciously shared my post with her readers. I have mentioned her before and if you haven't visited her blogs you are missing out!

Christmas Wreath DIY

2010-12-10T03:24:00.000-08:00

I found yet another video from Mr. P. Allen Smith. In this video he adds fresh greenery to a fake wreath and the end result is beautiful. It left me saying, "Why didn't I think of that". Again, thank yo Mr. P. Allen Smith!!!!

Our Southern Nest

Tomato Cage Christmas Tree

2010-12-07T03:31:00.000-08:00

I have one more video I found from Mr. P. Allen Smith. I did this a couple of years ago on our front porch and I think I will do it again this year.

Thank you Mr. Smith!

Stocking Door Hanging

2010-12-07T03:24:00.000-08:00

I found this video on YouTube this morning. I think it is adorable and thought you might enjoy watching!

Decorating Update

2010-12-05T17:48:00.000-08:00

I made a great deal of progress today. I thought I would share a few things with you today. It is still a work in progress but here's what I have done so far...

First up is the dining room. I plan to use candles, ornaments and cranberries in the little vases, but right now they each hold an ornament.

I am not finished with the banister yet. Ha! Every time I start to decorate the banister I am reminded of the "Designing Women" episode where Julia gets her head stuck in "The Abbott Banister"!

I usually display my Christmas cards along the garland. I will post more pictures once I get more cards. Have you sent your cards yet? I haven't!

The sea grass container below was purchased at TJ Maxx. It is by TAG and it was meant to be used as a tabletop Christmas tree. I purchased three of them and I am using them on our stairwell posts. They cost $5.00 each and I filled them with fresh greenery from Home Depot. I already had the ornaments and red glitter floral stems. I made the whole arrangement for under $10.

I finally finished the tree! You can't see it, but my tree is in a huge galvanize tub. I never can find a tree skirt I like and this seems to work.

I got this idea from my next door neighbor who just happens to be a florist. Lucky me! The vases are filled with cranberries, limes and FREE tree trimmings from Home Depot. (Just ask the guys loading the trees where they keep the clippings. They will tell you to take as much as you like.) I layered the greenery, limes and cranberries, and then I filled it with water.

The vases are from TJ Maxx and I am obsessed with them. I have more glass vases in all sizes than I care to admit, and I use them all the time. If they are not being used for decorating, I will use them in my pantry to keep things organized. I also use them on my front porch as candle holders. The best thing of all is that they are CHEAP!!!! You can get a huge vase for under $20. The larger one below was $7.99, the medium size was $3.99, and the smaller one was $3.99.

The smaller vases are filled with jelly beans and peppermints. The downside to filling the vases with candy is that the little ones (and their dad) have a hard time keeping their hands off my vase filler.

Lucy has nothing to do with our Christmas decorations. Owen decided to put the Elvis glasses on her and take her picture. I promised him I would share it with all of you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

Holiday Decorating Inspiration

2010-12-05T05:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was searching the web for some Christmas decorating ideas. I am still having a hard time getting motivated this year for some reason. I thought I would share some pictures I have saved in my "next year" file. Enjoy!

Southern Living

Southern Living
PS-Santa, I want the doggie in the window.

Southern Living

EAB Designs

Southern Living

Better Homes and Gardens

You probably noticed that most of the photo came from Southern Living. If you go to their website, they have all of their decorating ideas organized into different categories for your convenience. Please click here to view the countless photos.

Merry Christmas!
Our Southern Nest

Christmas Oil Painting 2006

2010-12-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

We lived in Birmingham for a short time in 2006. (Too short if you ask me!) During that time I started taking art lessons from a dear sweet lady in the Mt. Laurel community. I cherished those 3 hours every Thursday night, and my week was not complete if I had to miss a class. I thought I would share a painting I did for Christmas that year. It took me several weeks to complete it and it is the only painting I have held on too (or didn't paint over). Thought I would share it with you today. I know the subject is not really Christmas related, but the colors in the painting are.

Merry Christmas!
Our Southern Nest

I Need A Little Christmas Now!

2010-12-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it! This is the first time ever that I am not motivated to decorate our Christmas tree. We have a beautiful tree this year and it looks so great with just the lights on it. I almost want to keep it that way but I know the other members of our household will object.

I usually decorate our tree before we leave for Thanksgiving holiday. However, this year I had two sick little ones and that put a kink in my pre-Thanksgiving decorating. Therefore I am sharing my pictures from Christmas 2009. I am hoping this will motivate me to finish decorating the tree. The picture quality is not great and please ignore the baby gate on the stairs.

While the rest of you are listening to Nat King Cole, sipping your hot chocolate or your favorite adult beverage, and enjoying your beautiful tree, be thankful that your living room does not look like this.

Say "hello" to Nat for me!
Our Southern Nest

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

Each year we go to the Sandestin Resort in Destin, Florida for Thanksgiving. We have a great time visiting with our family and the kids love spending time with their cousins. I thought I would share a few pictures of my favorite moments. I will apologize ahead of time for posting so many pictures!

I was finally able to get a picture of all the grandchildren together! I usually have to get in the picture while holding Baby M.

We had some serious football players this year.

Here is Mimi with the only granddaughter in the family.

Someone slept through Thanksgiving dinner and was not happy when he woke up.

Here are the big boys with Santa this year. Please notice that Baby M was not in the picture. He screamed every time I took one step towards the man in the red suit. I guess there is always next year. However, I would like you to know he was wearing the cutest brown corduroy jon jon to match his brothers.

This picture has nothing to do with our family, but I just thought I would share it with you. I love the color and the simple design.

Ashley and I took turns taking pictures of the moms with the kiddos. As most of you know, the mommas TAKE the pictures and are rarely in them. Again, notice that Baby M refused to have his picture taken.

The hotel had a gingerbread display in the lobby. It was truly amazing and smelled heavenly.

Now I am off to start decorating for Christmas. I predict that if I start now I might be finished before the boys get out for Christmas break! :)

Rain, Rain Don't Go Away...I Want To Wear My Le Chameau Boots Today!

2010-11-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

I have been wanting a new pair of rain boots. I teach an elementary math class on a beautiful campus where all doors lead to the outside. This means that come rain or shine we are always outside walking to different places on campus. When it is cold and rainy, I always cry when my nice leather boots get soaked. I did buy a pair of rain boots last year from a chain clothing store, but I did not like them because they felt big and heavy.

I have found the perfect pair of boots for those rainy days, and they come in a wide range of colors! The boots are from a company called
Le Chameau. They are produced in Northern France and are hand-crafted from 100% natural rubber.

They offer boots for both men and women and I love them! They are light-weight and very comfortable. I decided to get a pair in Vermilion Red because they just made me happy. Who wouldn't want a bright splash of color on a rainy day? I think they will look great with skinny jeans or skirts.

In fact, I love these boots so much I think I may order a pair in gold! Or maybe I will order them in black with the fleece lining inside!

I don't think you could go wrong with any color and you can get them in several different styles.

My husband needs a new pair of hunting boots and I think these would be the perfect Christmas gift!

Today was a cold and rainy day in our part of the world, and I finally had the chance to wear my new boots! I have to say that my feet were warm and dry all day long. As a matter of fact, I am still wearing them as I write this post tonight. Thank you Le Chameau!

If you are interested in learning more about Le Chameau please click HERE. You can buy the boots online or at select retail stores. You can find a list of retailers by clicking HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Christmas Ideas

2010-11-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

I have been organizing my picture files and ran across some items that I sold at Market Day in town last year. A few people have asked if I was going to create them again this Christmas. And yes, I am already working on them now. I thought I would share last year's items with you today. Do you want to know something funny? When I look at the stockings and the card holders now, I think to myself "Wow! Those are really cute!" However, when I think back to this time last year, all I can remember is that I did not want to see another stocking ever again. I guess when you look at them morning, noon, and night you can tire of them and stop seeing their beauty. Anyway, here are the pictures. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

The board above is a magnetic Christmas card holder and measures 24" by 24". The stocking is meant to hang on your door and hold Christmas greenery. I used window screen to make my form and then covered it with plaster.

This is an example of another magnetic board.

This personalized canvas measures 20" x 20".

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

More Thanksgiving Ideas

2010-11-01T16:15:00.000-07:00

I found a few more pictures to inspire me for Thanksgiving and thought I would share them with you.

If I had an outdoor dining space with an arbor, I would hang this chandelier above the dining table and enjoy Thanksgiving alfresco!

I love, love, love these plates. My mother-in-law uses plates very similar to these each year at Thanksgiving. They were my husband's grandmothers and Thanksgiving would not be the same them.

I love the branches in the glass vase. It is very simple and elegant.

*The pictures above were found on the Country Living website.

Ideas For Fall From Southern Living

2010-10-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

Southern Living is my "go to" magazine. I can't wait for the new issue to arrive in my mailbox each month. When it arrives I patiently wait for the kids to go to bed and read it from cover to cover uninterrupted. Sometimes my ritual is interrupted, and I can not read the magazine on the day that it arrives. I do not like it when this happens and all is not right with the world until I have read the latest issue.

I was searching their website for ideas for Thanksgiving decorations. As I said before, I usually do not decorate for Thanksgiving, but I thought something might inspire me this year. As I was searching their website, I ran across this video. You can view 100 fall photographs in less than two minutes. I thought I would share it with you. Thanks Southern Living!!! You never disappoint me!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1815825658?bclid=40223661001&bctid=39618197001

Another sports season comes to an end...

2010-10-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Little O decided to play baseball for the very first time this fall. I will admit that I was against it at first. It wasn't that I didn't want him to play, but Big T was playing football this fall too. I knew that I could not be in two places at once. However, Jim and I found a way to juggle the games and we survived...just like everyone who faces the same problem.

Little O had his last game last night. He had a wonderful experience and his coaches were great. His team may not have won a single game, but they had a great time the whole season. The highlight of the season had to be when a little man got his first hit ever and later scored! I think the whole team (and parents) celebrated an entire inning. Here are some pictures from the last game. You will notice there are more of Little M than of the baseball player. It was the only way I could make M stay in one place.

Remember Me?!

2010-10-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not having a new post lately! It seems that the children's schedules, work, and life in general has caught up with me! We have had a very busy nest lately! Football season has come to a close for the oldest child and we have one more week of baseball season left for child #2. We have been working on school projects, Halloween costumes and school work in general. I have been a busy bee grading papers and getting report cards ready to go out! Does any of this sound familiar to any you? I am sure I am preaching to the choir! :)

Any way......a new holiday season is upon us! I can't decide if I will have any Thanksgiving projects to write about or if I will go straight to Christmas. I have a feeling I will go straight to Christmas. I am not trying to dis Thanksgiving, but I usually don't decorate for this holiday. To be honest, by time I finally get all my Halloween decorations down it is time to start decorating for Christmas! There I said it! I know I should put them away the day after, but I am not that organized. However, maybe this will be the year the decorations are packed and put back in their place before December 1st!

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Whimsical Halloween Decorations

2010-10-15T15:10:00.000-07:00

I miss magazines! Some of my favorite magazines are no longer in publication and it makes me sad. A few years ago, I was reading Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion and saw this front porch in an article. We had just moved in to our old Victorian house and had the perfect porch to recreate this look.

I studied the pictures and here is my version of the porch.

I started with clear Christmas lights from Home Depot. I used the larger, old fashioned lights and not the smaller Christmas tree light. I bought about 20 yards of black tulle. It takes a lot of tulle, but luckily I got it on sale for under $1 yard at JoAnn's. I cut the tulle into 18"strips. Then I looped the tulle around the cord skipping every other space between the lights. (I looked back at the picture and I actually randomly placed the tulle on the wire. However, last year I skipped every other space.)

I filled in the empty spaces with orange paper lanterns that I bought from Luna Bazaar and paper that I bought from Party City. The glittered skulls were purchased several years ago from my favorite store The Vintage Flea, but I found these wooden skulls at Michael's this year for $1.50. You can glitter them yourself!!

I had planned to paint jack-o-lantern faces on the lanterns but that may have to wait until next year.I also found glittered skulls, bats and spiders at Target for $4 in black, green and turquoise. Click here to visit the Target website.

Here is how the porch looks during the day.

How do you like my porch? I like how it looks at night and the boys like it too. Baby Mac squeals and claps every time he goes outside. By the way, I still have that magazine and look at it often this time of year.

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

If you would like to know who won our last giveaway please click here!

And The Winner Is....

2010-10-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Jennifer from All That Glitters! Please email me to claim your prize! Thanks to all that entered and a big THANK YOU to Dondee Hicks from Artist Tree! Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and you need to check out her website. She has great a turkey door hanger and super cute snowman too! I think I will purchase this for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I plan to have a giveaway for November and December so please check back with me.

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

I'm Back!!!

2010-10-12T03:14:00.000-07:00

The family took a little trip to Disney World this past weekend. We are back home now and ready to start our week. I will announce the winner of the final Artist Tree giveaway tomorrow. I will also have another Halloween post later this week! I hope everyone had a wonderful Columbus Day!

Halloween Birthday Party

2010-10-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

My friend Kari and I both have children the same age. Last year was their 6th birthday, and we decide to throw a joint Halloween birthday bash. Their birthdays are actually during Thanksgiving and Christmas. However, if you have children whose birthdays are during those two seasons, you know that it is nearly impossible to find a date for a birthday party.

We used Christmas light, tulle and paper lanterns to decorate the her garage.

I use stitch witchery to attach different ribbons to the orange burlap table runner. I was inspired by an article in the September/October 2009 issue of Mississippi Magazine.

We ordered 4 different types of spooky cupcakes that both boys and girls would enjoy. Here is an example of our creepy crawly cupcakes. We also had werewolves, witches hats, and black cats.

Each guest took home one of these adorable cookies.

We attached these stickers on the back of each cookie. We purchases the stickers on Etsy.com from a store called Max and Bella.

We served our Swamp Water punch in these festive sugar rimmed glasses with a gummy worm garnish.

The powdered donuts were used for one of our games. I attached raffia ribbon to each donut and we hung them from the branches of a tree. The children had a race to see who could eat his or her donut first without using their hands. We have no idea who won! The children were just having so much fun trying to eat the donuts.

We hung the donuts at different heights to accomodate our guests.

After the donut eating contest, everyone was treated to a hayride. What would a Halloween party be without a hayride?

Here is just one more shot of the vampire eating a donut. He was so darn cute, and I just could resist sharing just one more!

We had balloon relay races!

We also had an area set up for parents to take a photo of their little goblin. Below is my little one posed for the camera.

The little poodle was too cute for words!

Afterwards, the children played Pin The Tale On The Cat.

Each table was decorated with candleabras, halloween confetti, and glittered spiders and skulls.

We even had treats for the moms and dads. We had an adult beverage station set up in the backyard.

We had so much fun planning the party and I think everyone had a great time.

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

Football Giveaway from Artist Tree

2010-10-04T03:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the last giveaway from ARTIST TREE. I love the details in this very cute football! It would look great on your front door to welcome guest to your Game Day party or your own little quarterback's bedroom door!

To enter this giveaway, you must do one or all of the following:

1. Leave a comment at the end of the post.
2. Become a follower. If you already follow my blog just let me know in your comment.
3. Share this post of Facebook or Twitter with all your friends.
4. Blog about this giveaway.

Thanks for entering and thanks to Dondee Hicks at ARTIST TREE! She rocks!

Our Southern Nest

A Halloween Pillow Frenzy, An Unborn Child and A Football Game

2010-10-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

You may be saying to yourself, "What do these three things have to do with one another?"

I will get to that in a minute! First, let me tell you that our front porch takes a beating from the sun in the afternoons. Our cushions for the wicker furniture needed to be replaced or recovered. I was in the middle of decorating the front porch when I decided that I just had to recover the cushions that day.

I purchased the green floral fabric at Hobby Lobby and decided to use it for the seat cushions. I know that it is not weather proof or stain resistant. However, it was inexpensive, and by time that it needs to be replaced I will probably want something different.

I was trying to decide what to do about throw pillows when it suddenly hit me! I had some orange burlap left from last year's Halloween party. I could use that to make a few pillows. The only problem was that I did not have any black burlap.

At this point in the story, I need to let you know that it is 7:45 p.m. on a Saturday night, and I knew Hobby Lobby did not have any more burlap in stock. Luckily, I remembered that my SUPER, GREAT, and ALL-AROUND AWESOME friend, Kari, had black burlap at her house. I called her to ask if I could "borrow" some fabric and she was sweet enough to agree. I was so excited, and I knew Kari would understand! She knows when my creative juices are flowing I am a woman on a mission...or just insane. :)

Me to Kari: "Thank you so much! I am on my way!"
Kari to me: "Wait, Suzanne! The fabric is in the attic and the Georgia game is on. I will have to ask Rob to get it down during a commercial."
Me to Kari: "Oh." (Trying hard not to sound disappointed.) "Don't do that, Kari. Seriously, it can wait until tomorrow."

Now I was feeling so guilty that I let my insanity intrude on their Saturday night. I could only imagine what Rob would say when Kari asked him to go get some fabric out of the attic for her friend during the middle of the Georgia game. I love football as well, and I knew I did not want to come between a man and his Georgia football.

Of course Kari said it was not a bother. She said, "I think it is just at the top of the ladder, and I think I can reach it." Did I mention that Kari is about 5 1/2 months pregnant?

I told her not to worry about it and that I did recognize I had a problem. Isn't recognizing that you have a problem the first step in treating your addiction?

Kari proceeded to tell me again that she thought she could reach the fabric in the attic, but I begged her not to do it. I promised I would go to a meeting next week to help find a cure for this addiction. I told her my cute pillows were not worth her putting her unborn child in danger.

I guess by now you know how this story ends. The pregnant lady did climb the ladder, but luckily, the unborn child was unharmed and the husband was able to finish watching the Georgia game. I was also able to finish my super cute pillows! However, I did feel guilty. I think I will need to make a few extra pillows to give to Kari to make amends.

Maybe I should start my own 12 step program for craft addictions. I could make some really cute t-shirts, bracelets, frames, coffee mugs and stickers with our logo. I could create a blog that would document our journey into a craft-free world. I could hold interventions in local craft stores. I could post videos featuring the success stories of those brave souls who can actually walk into Hobby Lobby and Michael's without purchasing an item. I can write a tutorial about how it is possible to surf the web and not spend hours on Etsy.

But where would we be without burlap ,rhinestones and hot glue? I don't think I want to know.

I do feel I have to let you know how I made the flowers for the pillows. I followed the directions from House of Smith's tutorial on fabric flowers. I love her blog! She has great ideas and this was just one of many. Please click on the blog name above to visit her site. While you are there, check out her post about her kitchen pantry. She makes organization look so awesome!

And The Winner Is.....

2010-10-01T03:09:00.000-07:00

The winner of this week's giveaway is...LISA MCCARTNEY! Congratulations Lisa! Please email me to claim your prize.

Again I would like to thank Dondee Hicks. I think you all know by now that I am a huge fan of hers, and by the comments and entries I have received, I know you are as well. I will have one more ARTIST TREE giveaway for you sports fans out there.

Please be sure to visit my blog next week. I plan to have a big reveal of our front porch. I have been decorating for Halloween these past few days and it is almost complete. The post will be complete with the "how to's" in case you get inspired and want to try it out yourself!

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Last Day To Enter The Giveaway

2010-09-30T02:43:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway. Do not miss out on the chance to win this super cute door hanger from Dondee Hicks of Artist Tree! Click HERE to find out how to enter. The winner will be announced Friday, October 1st, 2010.

My pumpkin topiary tutorial is being featured on U Create today. Please click HERE to check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!
Our Southern Nest

Pumpkin Topiary Turtorial

2010-09-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Five or six years ago, I was inspired by an article I read in Southern Living. The article was about making a topiary using copper tubing and pumpkins. I just loved it and couldn't get it out of my head. I just knew I had to try it but I did not want to use real pumpkins because of the mess and they would not last very long.

Then one day I stumbled upon some fake pumpkins at Michael's and decided to use them instead. I bought three pumpkins in different sizes and the plastic carving tools that were being sold beside the pumpkins. I drew out the designs on the pumpkins and started carving away. Within five minutes the plastic carving tools broke and I did not know what to do. I decide to try our serrated kitchen knife, but I had to use a lot of muscle power and the knife was too big to carve the tiny details. My last option was a wood burning tool I had used in another project, and luckily it did the job.

It took me two days to complete two topiaries. I tried to hot glue the pumpkins together but it did not hold them . I punched holes where the pumpkins met (one on each side) and wired them together. They have lasted me for 5 years and survived moves to three different states. Sadly, last year my little rooster knocked it over and I lost a pumpkin.

But my loss is your gain! I have made new topiaries for my porch, and I have documented my project. For this projects you will need three pumpkins and the heated knife shown in the picture. I bought the pumpkins from Michael's because they were cheaper than Hobby Lobby. They only had two sizes to choose from so I decided to use two large pumpkins and one small pumpkin at the top.

Next, I drew my patterns on my pumpkins. Here is were you can get creative. I free handed the stars and curly Q's but used a template for the circles so they would be the same size. The possibilities are endless for what you could create with these pumpkins. However, simpler designs are easier to cut out.

The next step is to cut out your design. Just follow the directions given for the heated knife, and please be careful. It is HOT and SHARP! I waited until my little one was asleep before I started cutting out the designs. My youngest is two and I think you understand why I waited until he was asleep.

My advice in cutting out the shapes is to take your time. It is not hard to do but I wanted nice clean cuts so I took my time.

After all my shapes were out it was time to stack the pumpkins. I first decided which sides I wanted to face the front and which pumpkin would be on the bottom. After all of that is decided, I cut out the stem of the bottom pumpkin. (I did not cut a hole in the bottom because I inserted the lights though one of the polka dots. You may cut a hole in the bottom pumpkin to insert the lights, but be aware that the cord may make the topiary wobbly.) Do not make the hole too big! I made the hole about 3-4 inches in diameter. I then cut the same size hole in the bottom and top of the middle pumpkin. Finally, I cut a hole in the bottom of the top pumpkin, but left the stem.

You now have to build you topiary. Early in the post I said I attached my topiaries with wire. This time I tried this glue pictured below. I had it from another project and it said it was for Styrofoam. It goes on white, but it dries clear. The bottle says it needs 8 hours to cure. I will have to say that so far so good. If it does not hold I will go back to using wire.

Once the topiaries were dry, I set them in this plant stand I bought from Walmart, I think. It was white but I spray painted it black and wrapped it with grapevine garland. In the past, I have used two large iron urns for the topiaries. However, I now use the urns for something else and I needed to add height to the topiaries. I already had these in the garage so I improvised.

The final step is to add lights. I used old Christmas light, but you can use battery operated candles. You could also use the orange lights that you find at Michael's. The lights I have now are on a green cord, but I will change them to white lights on a white cord as soon as I find them!

And that is it! The big spiders I added serve two purposes. First, I thought they were cute and added a little something special to the pumpkins. Second, they hide little gaps that you can see because the pumpkins will not be totally flush. You could use leaves, boas, or other garlands for the same effect.

Sorry for the long post! It is a fun project and you can use it again year after year. I would LOVE to use the white pumpkins to make a pumpkin "snowman" and top it off with a witch's hat! If you have made a pumpkin topiary, I would love to see it! Email a picture and I will post it on my blog.

Also, I am having a giveaway this week and the winner will be announced Friday, October 1st, 2010. I will be giving away this door hanger from Dondee Hicks of Artist Tree.

If you would like a chance to win this Candy Filled Jack-O-Lantern, please click HERE and follow the instructions on how to enter.

Thanks for dropping by!
Our Southern Nest

Another Artist Tree Giveaway!

2010-09-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here we go again! I have another door hanger to give away this week from Dondee Hicks of Artist Tree. Sorry I am late getting this posted. We had a very busy weekend filled with football games and birthday parties!
This week I am giving away the CANDY FILLED JACK-O-LANTERN. You can click HERE to see it on Dondee Hicks' website. While you are there look around and you will see all of her wonderful creations. If you don't win this week's giveaway, you can always order one from Dondee. I try again to post the pictures for this week.

To enter you will need to do the following:
1. Leave a comment at the end of the post.
2. Become a follower or let me know you already follow OSN in another comment.
3. Share this post on Facebook. Be sure to let me know when you do.
4. Blog about the giveaway and you can earn 5 extra entries.

You will receive one entry for each item that you do above. Complete two items and receive two entries, etc.

If you would like to see who won the CANDY CORN giveaway last week click HERE!

Thanks for stopping by and good luck! The winner will be announced on October 1st, 2010.

Halloween Inspiration

2010-09-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Our town has a Market Day the first Saturday during the months of April through December. Last year my friends, Kari and Jamie, and I made a few items to sell. I was looking for some Halloween inspiration for this year and decided to look through my photos on Facebook. I came across these photos and decided to share them with you. We had a great response to our items and enjoyed chatting with our friends and meeting new ones too.

This pirate pumpkins was one of my favorites. You can't see it, but he had a wire handle with colored beads. You could hang him on your door or somewhere inside.

Small ornaments for spooky branches

The door buckets were a hit and could be personalized. I had one on my door filled with branches that I spray painted black.

The trick-or-treat pails could be personalized with your little goblin's name. I first starting painting these for my children years ago and they have reused them every year. I have also used them to hold mums and to hold my candy for trick-or-treaters.

We offered pails in two different sizes. The larger ones were great to use as a planter for mums.

This is what the door bucket looked liked before I put some one's initials on it.

The pails were also personalized.

Well, there you have it! I hope this gets you in the Halloween mood and maybe even inspire you to make something spooky...or not so spooky.

Thanks for stopping by!

Our Southern Nest

And the winner is...

2010-09-24T03:05:00.000-07:00

The winner of this week's giveaway is Dena Willis! Please email me at oursouthernnest@gmail.com to claim your prize! Congratulations and thanks for entering the giveaway.

For those of you who did not win, don't despair! I have another BEEAUTIFUL door hanger by

Artist Tree to giveaway next Friday. I will start the giveaway Saturday so check with me then to enter!

Thanks again to Dondee Hicks at Artist Tree and congratulations to Dena!

Artist Tree Giveaway Is Here!!!

2010-09-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

As promised, the giveaway for September will be a beautiful door hanger from Artist Tree. I did a post about Dondee Hicks, the woman behind Artist Tree, a few weeks ago. You can read the interview by clicking here. Dondee was gracious enough to provide not one, but THREE door hangers to be given away by Our Southern Nest. That means that I will give away ONE door hanger a week for the next 3 weeks! I fell in love with her designs online, but when I opened the box I was so excited! I thought they looked even better in person!

The first door hanger to be given away this week is this adorable CANDY CORN full of glitter and polka dots. It makes you happy just looking at it!

Here's how to enter!

1. Leave a comment below the post telling me what you think about the giveaway.

2. Become a follower of Our Southern Nest and leave a comment to let me know you are my newest follower. (If you are already a follower just let me know in your comment.)

3. Share this post with your friends on Facebook. Please let me know in your comment that you have shared this post with your friends.

4. Blog about this post and receive 5 extra entries.

You will get 1 entry for each item you complete above. Therefore, if you are a new follower and leave a comment about the giveaway, you will have 2 entries for the contest. If you leave a comment about the giveaway and share this post on your Facebook page, you will receive 2 entries. Do numbers 1-3 and receive 3 entries. Get the idea!

The winner will be announced this Friday, September 24, 2010. Thanks to Dondee at Artist Tree for making the giveaway possible. You can see more of Dondee's work at www.dondeehicks.com or on her Facebook page Artist Tree.

Remember, I will have another wonderful door hanger to give away next week! I will give you a hint....no trick-or-treater would leave home without it!!!

Custom Canvas For A New Arrival And A Finished Painting

2010-09-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Where did August go? I have been busy with school and the boys' sport schedules that I realized that we are almost half way through September. Today, I will share two projects I worked on this lovely Saturday. The first is a custom canvas for a baby shower gift. I thought it turned our really cute and will match their bedding. I you know I am partial to blue!

I also finished a painting I started two months ago. I finally got the inspiration I need to finish it. Whatcha think?

I started with an old canvas that I had painted a pineapple on last year. I used joint compound to cover the canvas to give it texture. I usually use heavy molding paste that you can buy at your local arts and craft store, but I didn't have any in the supply closet. Therefore, I used what I had available. If you do use joint compound, I would recommend sealing it before you start painting or your paint will get muddy. I just use clear poly spray.

You will notice a line going across the canvas. I used a paintbrush to paint on the joint compound.

This is what it looked like after the first few coats of paint.

I was not happy with it so I decided to add a brown glaze to make the texture stand out even more. After it dried, I then sprayed a gloss poly again to seal it. This is what it looks like now.

So there you have it! I am off to eat my red beans and rice and watch some college football! Have a great weekend!!!

Our Southern Nest

An Interview with Artist Tree

2010-09-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

Facebook is a wonderful thing! A friend of mine suggested I become a "fan" of Artist Tree so I clicked on the page to see what is was all about. When the page opened, I immediately fell in love. Dondee Hicks is the woman behind Artist Tree, and she is an extremely talented artist. She creates whimsical door hangers, and I want to buy one of each!

I have suggested her Facebook page to my friends, but I wanted to also share her creative genius with you as well. Dondee graciously agreed to an interview to give us some insight to her business. She has also agreed to donate a few doorhangers to Our Southern Nest to use in a giveaway coming up soon, but more on that later. Here are just a few examples of Dondee's work.

OSN: I just love everything you do. How long have you been painting?
ARTIST TREE: Thank you! Strangely, I’ve only been painting about 11 years. I’ve always been artistic, but it wasn’t until I tackled my daughter’s nursery mural that I realized I could REALLY paint! It was an AMAZING experience.

OSN: Did you major in art?
ARTIST TREE: I majored in art for about 2 weeks, became very intimidated due to my lack experience, and changed to Family and Consumer Science Education. Home Ec:)! I LOVE teaching Home Ec.

OSN: Do you only paint door decorations or do you paint other things?
ARTIST TREE: I’ll actually paint anything that won’t run away from me...canvases, furniture, ceramics, walls. Murals are my specialty and I’m a beginning (very beginning) portrait artist.

OSN: The door decorations you create are spectacular. What materials do you use to create such unique items?
ARTIST TREE: THANK you again! I’m amazed at their popularity and feel really blessed to have such a booming business. I’ve actually been painting door hangers for over 10 years, but couldn’t even “give them away” until the last 2 years! Crazy! I use lots of different materials...mainly wood, paint, metal and LOTS of glitter.

OSN: Where does your inspiration come from?
ARTIST TREE: EVERYWHERE! I’m really into fun and whimsical things that make you feel “all Happy”!

OSN: How did you get your start?
ARTIST TREE: I’ve always been crafty and artistic and would refuse to buy ANYTHING that I could figure out how to make. When I painted my first real mural (my oldest daughter’s), I had such a huge response that I realized my painting could be a great way to add to my teacher’s salary! So I would definitely say that mural was my “official” start!

OSN: I assume that you draw the templates, but do you cut them out yourself? Are you a one-woman show or do you have help?
ARTIST TREE: I was a “one-woman” show in the beginning...I do love machinery! It has grown to the point of needing help now. I use almost all my time with the artistic part and have help from family, neighbors and friends for the other parts!

OSN: What are your future plans for you business?
ARTIST TREE: I’m thrilled with the growth explosion in the last 2 years and plan to eventually offer wholesale. I’ve always been interested in developing a line of decorative art/accessories...so the sky is the limit.

OSN: Do you take custom orders?
ARTIST TREE: ABSOLUTELY! I love everything I do, but the creative process when you are able to work on unique pieces is sooooo fulfilling! That’s where I really shine:)

OSN: How long does each decoration take from start to finish?
ARTIST TREE: Hmmmm...each piece is created in a large group now. I have pumpkin day, party hat day, cupcake day, etc. When I’m creating a new design, though, it takes about 2-3 hours per piece, depending on the extras like metal, wire, glitter, ribbon.

OSN: I know at times my house seems like a paint factory with all the projects I have going on. Do you have a studio or do you work out of your home?
ARTIST TREE: I do have a studio...a.k.a my garage! It has been converted to accommodate my home studio! We BOTH probably have several “irons in the fire” at ALL times! Wouldn’t have it any other way!

OSN: Where can people go to view more samples of your work? How can they place an order?
ARTIST TREE: You can check out lots of my work on Facebook under Artist Tree...be my friend!
And you can place any order on MY FABULOUS new web site...www.dondeehicks.com

So there you have it! You can become a friend of Artist Tree on Facebook and see all the amazing things Dondee has created. So drop on by and be sure to mention that you found her through Our Southern Nest.

You can also visit her website, www.dondeehicks.com, to purchase your very own door hanger. She is so talented and I know great things are coming her way.

Don't forget to check back here at OSN because we will be giving away TWO of Artist Tree's Halloween door hangers later this month. I will let you know which ones will be given away in the post.

I want to say a big Thank You to Dondee for sharing with us today!!

Our Southern Nest

A Work in Progress

2010-08-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

First, let me apologize for not posting lately. Last week was our first full week of school, and we have been busy getting ready to be in the "school" frame of mind. I am sure that all of you would agree that getting your children ready for school take TONS of energy. Additionally, if you happen to be a mother as well as a teacher, you are stretched in every direction possible. For those of you who don't know, I am both a mother and a teacher so I have been very, very busy. Something had to give, and since I do not get a paycheck from this blog you can guess what was put on the back burner.

I am hoping that things will settle down soon and I can get back to finishing/starting projects that I can share with you. Today, I will show you my oldest son's room. It is a room in PROGRESS. Please don't judge me yet!!! He has shared his room with his younger brother since he was 3 years old, and we thought it was time for him to have a room of his own. We just moved him into the office to be all by himself and he is LOVING it! (We still haven't moved the office out yet, but we are getting there.)

Here is what we have so far. Again, we built is ourselves using plans for KNOCK-OFF WOOD.

We modified the plans for the storage daybed slightly. The baskets are from Target, and yes, I need to get more. I am still not sure what color to paint everything. I can't decide between navy, black or white. Your input would be greatly appreciated. The walls will be painted a light khaki and I am not sure what we will do for the bed linens. Hopefully, it will be something he can use for a long time. (He is nine by the way.)

I hope to have it completed within the next two weeks. Thanks for stopping by!!! I am off to continue my sewing. Baby Mac has hit a growth spurt and is in need to new jon jons.

Our Southern Nest

God is Great, God is Good

2010-08-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today, I will not be talking about furniture or projects but about something more personal. I received a message this weekend that has been a long time coming for someone very dear to me. I literally cried tears of joy for my friend.

In that message, I was reminded of so many things. First, I was reminded that God truly does answer prayers although it may not be on our time schedule or the answer that we want, but he does answer them. Next, God is in control and has a plan for us all. Finally, I am reminded of how God has blessed my family in so many ways. I have a wonderful family, healthy children and wonderful friends with whom I can share the ups and downs of our lives.

Like I said before, God is Great, God is Good!

Thank You Finding Fabulous!

2010-08-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

A big Thank You to Finding Fabulous for featuring my bombe chest in their Frugalicious Friday post. Please go over and check out her blog. She has great ideas and great giveaways! I know you will enjoy!

See you soon,
Our Southern Nest

And The Winner Is......

2010-08-16T03:02:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Lauren@GatheringMoss! You are the winner of our very first giveaway. Please email me with your mailing address to claim your prize.

Thank you to everyone who entered! I really appreciate the kind comments and for sharing my blog with your friends and family.

I have a SPOOKY giveaway planned for the month of September to get you in the Halloween mood. I am so excited about it, and I know you will love it! Psst- I will give you a little hint. I will be featuring the artist in a post very soon!

See you soon!
Our Southern Nest