the quilt

We kept a stack of our (almost 3 year old) little girl's cutest little baby outfits. My mom cut them up and made this ADORABLE crazy quilt. Isn't it the cutest thing? I think we are going to hang it on the wall in her room. There are so many details like little tags sticking out- buttons, a favorite smocked dress, clothes from Granna and Gramma and Gigi and Aunt Sarah and Aunt Barbie and cousin Jenna and best friend Helen. Thanks mom! We will cherish it forever!


Oh and WOW- did you guys ever blow me away with your comments and almost 100% agreement to paint the wall green! I guess I'll be buying green paint :) I did like the idea from Trish and a few others about painting some words up there with black paint. Thanks for the ideas - I will keep you posted. Have a great Friday!

POLL: what to do with the stove back splash

I really want your opinion. This wall behind the stove needs something and I can't decide whether to paint with chalkboard paint or do more patches and contact paper. What do you think???? These would be the easiest solutions because:

#1 I already have all of those supplies on hand
#2 Both of those solutions are easily washable

The only other thing would be to get a different color of paint (like the light green that is on the bottom part of the wall in the eating area).

A Trip Down Memory Lane

The first house we ever lived in (after 2 apartments together). We rented this cute little house in Greer, SC. Here was the nursery ready for our first baby to come home.

The window treatments were fabric remnants tied to twigs. (this was 7 years ago)

Christmas at our house- blue and red were my colors.

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Then we moved about 5 minutes away (still in Greer) and were so excited to buy our first house. The biggest thrill was being able to paint and do whatever we wanted without having to ask a landlord. You remember the boys room (you can see that here). We had gotten to pick out all of the tile and carpet colors- so fun! And that black chandelier- I LOVED it- WHY, WHY, WHY didn't we bring that with us when we moved?!?!?! Here is where those red checked curtains first showed up- I sorta miss them now that I see them in all of their glory (I didn't throw them away- just shoved them in a closet)

I discovered the joy of writing on walls....

This tree had the fruits of the Spirit written on the leaves

This verse was supposed to encourage me while I was doing the dishes, I suppose :)

It is fun to look back sometimes. I didn't remember half of this stuff til I came across the pictures. Funny how a person's style changes and evolves over time. How about you- has your style changed or stayed the same?

Dave's Concert:::fun in Delaware

Here he is talking before a song. A lot of times he would tell how he wrote the song- or what the inspiration was. I so appreciate Dave's heart and how he sings for the Lord. He wants those listening to learn more about God, to think about how good our Lord is, to see our weakness and God's strength for us. I was deeply blessed- even though I have heard all of his songs many times.


It was a special thing to see my husband up there doing what he was made to do. It has been a long road- (he is 40 :) - Dave has done a lot- he has worked hard at a lot of jobs. To be able to see him not in a job- but a ministry that allows him to use his passion- writing music for the Lord. To see him being a blessing to other people- wow - that is priceless. We are so thankful for this opportunity.
Here are some very sweet and genuine people that we got to know. We were so encouraged by the ministry at Lighthouse Baptist- God is doing great things there. It was hard to leave and say goodbye! All I can say is thank goodness for Facebook and now we can keep in touch :)


These pictures are out of order- but I had to take a picture of Aunt Barbara making us breakfast on Saturday morning. She made us pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, etc- it was so good and she is so sweet! Thanks for having us, Aunt Barbara!

Nicola fries with vinegar- I dream about this stuff

Pastor Witmer's wife, Amy, is an artist and we got to see some of her art at their house. This was done using the batik technique- which is so interesting to me. This picture does not do the art justice at all.
I would have to say that my artistic and decorating style developed until I was a teenager and then stopped there- I loved the Witmer's teenaged daughter's room. Isn't it adorable? The shabby chic bed, the quilts, the paper lanterns- what's not to like? I am 13 at heart :)

We're Back

We left Friday morning and just got back tonight from a trip to Delaware for Dave's concert. We got to meet up with lots of family members, made some sweet new friends, enjoyed Dave's concert, ate lots of good food (Nicola pizza-Aunt Barbara's pancakes-Aunt LeAnn's cookies to name a few--the diet starts tomorrow!)

We are happy to be back home but so thankful for God's protection and blessing as we were able to go to another church and meet and worship with a wonderful body of believers who share the love for God. Dave and I are deeply blessed and thankful.

Lots of photos to upload- sara's art house will be back up and running with the regularly scheduled color and photos tomorrow. Have a good night! Don't stay up too late watching 24 (especially since you can watch episodes on hulu.com)

**To answer a few comments about the paper lanterns that are hanging in our kitchen- I do not have lights in them. Some of you were wondering where the cords were hidden. I would love the light- but hate the cords- so they are just the globes hung up with fishing line and cup hooks.

10 minute microwave make-over

Remember this? I had started to patchwork this wall with paper and modpodge...but whenever I looked at the back splash I would get a headache. Something had to be done! I decided that I needed some new, calmer paper in bigger patches...

A trip to Archiver's, some quick cutting out of squares and rectangles and here we are! Finally happy with the patches (I had just taped them up to make sure I liked the arrangement). I dreaded getting out the mod-podge. Don't get me wrong- I love mod podge, but it is a bit tricky to use just enough but not too much so there are no bubbles.

Then I had the epiphany! Contact paper!!!! YES! What could go wrong with cheap, sticky plastic?!?!?!!
And you know what- it worked! I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. It is pretty and colorful and protected and washable!! The best part is that it took not even a third of the roll of $5.99 contact paper- and maybe 45 minutes.

But look at this picture- something is not quite right...the microwave- it is too bare....soooooo

Here is the 10 minute project part that I think made a big difference....
Click on that button and you can see the others who are sharing their 10 minute makeover ideas at the Nesting Place (the Nester always has something fun going on)


I decided to cover the sides of the microwave with the patches- it was SO easy and SO fast and it is so cute [in my very humble opinion] that I had to share it with you!!!!! All I did was cut a piece of contact paper and laid it on the counter (sticky side up of course :) then I laid down scraps of paper- added a few rings of masking tape so the middle would not bubble out.....

.....then slapped it onto the microwave!

Probably about 75% of my readers may feel that sticking cheap plastic all over your kitchen is tacky....but I will admit- I absolutely LOVE it!!!!!




I will say that if you try this at home- you can slightly see the seams, etc- and that is why it worked with all of the colorful patches- you don't even notice the few seams and edges. (and don't forget to rub it all down after with a spatula or other hard plastic tool so that the contact paper sticks evenly everywhere.

Here are a few other 10 minute makeover ideas:

*Get a plate from Target and put it on the wall

*Get some black frames and fill with scraps of paper

*Paint a tray, tape on some pictures, nail a hole in the top and hang on the wall (add a few button magnets if you want)

*Nail a line on the wall, clothespin some pieces of fabric to it for a quick window treatment

*Did I mention getting a $2 plate from Target and hanging it on the wall?

So what do you think? Do you like the patchy back splash- or too tacky for you?

would you believe; color? And a Q for you

Going along with the idea that eventually every single thing in our house will soon be black or patches of color, I pulled this old bulletin board out of the yard sale pile and painted the sides black. Then I taped on a bunch of ideas cut out of ME Home Companion mags. This will be really handy since I paint in this little corner and will be able to see the inspiration board.

This tray had no black on it at all- so a quick coat of paint to the sides remedied that - and now it fits in with the kitchen much better (more inspiration via the magazine scraps taped to the tray)

Typical scene at the table. Notice the doll is having her snack.

These are the little babyGap shoes that I got years ago- they finally fit our little girl.

Love the button bottles!!! Good job, Lydia!

color coded snack

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Here is my question: what is your favorite verse? What would you like to see on a print? I am thinking of doing some new prints in muted colors.

Sometimes my father-in-law comes up with good ideas :) Here is his order- not sure what he will think about the circles, maybe he will hang it in his closet...

Another great verse!!!! Thank You, Lord, for the great & mighty things that you already have shown to us. We marvel at Your greatness!!!

Recognize this one? Keri was it you who first asked me to do this verse with these colors? Well thank you for your genius because this design has been requested about 4 times. I promise, though, that each canvas is a little bit different- no two alike! When you get a custom painting it is made special for you.