Tag Archives: repurposed

Quick Light Fixture Fix….

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When we moved into Oak Cottage we loved

all of the attention to detail the builders

had put into it…….all of our floors are

reclaimed heart pine from a Civil War home

in Virginia.  All of the brick of our cottage is

reclaimed from a Civil War home in Alabama.

Loved the reclaimed barn wood covered walls in

the master bath….and so much more.

BUT, all this lovely attention to history

and character; and then they put $2 stock

light fixtures all over the house!

I mean EVERY ceiling fixture were these blah things.

They are kind of like a schoolhouse fixture wannabees….

but can’t. ha!

So, over the years as we have found what we wanted

we have slowly replaced each one of these….except

the two that hang in the master bedroom.

We haven’t been able to find exactly what we want

in there, yet. OK, the truth is we’ve found what we

want; but they cost more than our home. *humph*

We are still operating in the patience department

for those two fixtures.

As we have waited…we have had fun with each fixture

by decorating them in different patterns.

We’ve done black and white checkerboards,

polka dots, etc. We’ve put all kinds of things

on these fixtures….and it really changes their look.

Here are the ones that hang in our master bedroom……

the last two…..waiting to be replaced with the million

dollar fixtures of our dreams. :)

If you have any contractor grade lights in your home

that you would like to spruce up…..

this cannot be simpler!

We literally used Sharpies on all the fixtures.

If you get tired of the design or redecorate you can just

use fingernail polish remover to get the Sharpie off

and redo it with a different design.

Great for kids and teenagers….they can decorate/design

their own light fixtures in their room!

Here’s what you need:

Any plain light fixture….with a glass globe/cover

Sharpies

Here’s how ya do it:

1. Pick up the Sharpie color of your choice.

2. Use it to put designs on the outside of the glass globe.

3. If you goof…use fingernail polish to erase.

I’ll repeat it…since it’s deep and complicated:

1. Pick up the Sharpie color of your choice.

2. Use it to put designs on the outside of the glass globe.

3. If you goof…use fingernail polish to erase.

There you have it!

******

Yoohoooooo, Harmony Morrissey….

where are you? You are the winner of our Supersized Giveaway

and we can’t seem to find you!

We will draw another winner tomorrow if we still haven’t been contacted by Harmony!

Be on the lookout……

Also….if you’d like another chance to win one of our

Mini French Cafe Chalkboards…head on over

to French Country Cottage and enter to win one!

Have a great Wednesday~

Sharing with:  Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Today’s Creative Blog, Not JUST a Housewife,  Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Whipperberry, The Idea Room,  Between Naps on the Porch, French Country Cottage, The Lettered Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, At the Picket Fence, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Common Ground,  DIY Showoff, Home Stories A to Z,  a.k.a. Design, Someday Crafts, Organize and Decorate Everything,  2805, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Craftomaniac, Carolyns Homework, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots & Jello, Serenity Now, No Minimalist Here, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home, Redoux, 504 Main, 733 Blog, We Are That Family, Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  The Charm of Home, Delightsome Life, Anything Goes, Rooted in Thyme, Positively Splendid, Cedar Hill Ranch

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Chalkboard Chargers…..

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Deeeeeeeeeeeepppp in the recesses of the

laundry room black hole storage space

have sat these 13 brass chargers for many years.

I’m not too fond of brass….it’s, well,

too brassy.

I have had these chargers for about 20 years

and many years ago used them quite a lot.

Last autumn when we did a huge cleanout

I almost put them in the yard sale pile;

but then I kept thinking of fun things I could

do with them. At first I thought of some fun

things to create with them for the etsy shop,

then I thought I would distress the rims,

paint the centers with chalkboard paint,

and use them for some fun gifts.

Then, I thought the whole charger would

be great as a chalkboard….still used as a charger.

So, that’s what I decided to do.

That was 6 months ago.

Last week they were still in the black hole storage.

BUT, when I saw my lovely Canadian friend Shannon,

of {aka}design, turn her lovely chargers into chalkboards…..

that put me in gear to get these things out and get on with it!

They were a bit dusty.

 

But I think they turned out great…and we are having so much fun with them!

 

 I love these antique silver spoons that we picked up

in an antique store in Gettysburg, PA.

They are my favorites….almost 100 years old.

 Here’s what you need:

Chalkboard spray paint

any kind of charger…metal or wood

Here’s how you do it:

1. Make sure chargers are clean and dust free {that took me a while!}

2. Lay them face down and lightly spray the backs

3. Once the backs are dry, turn them over and spray the fronts with 3 coats of paint.

4. Once they are dry let them cure for 24 hours before using them.

{You may want to store them with felt in between each one so the

paint does not get scratched off when stacking.}

These are so fun to use a place cards, special messages,

games at dinner, etc.

 *****

Tomorrow is the last day to enter

our Big 1 Year Blogoversary Giveaway!

If you haven’t…head on over so you don’t miss it!

Blessings~

Sharing with:  Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Today’s Creative Blog, Not JUST a Housewife,  Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Whipperberry, The Idea Room,  Between Naps on the Porch, French Country Cottage, The Lettered Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, At the Picket Fence, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Common Ground,  DIY Showoff, Home Stories A to Z,  a.k.a. Design, Someday Crafts, Organize and Decorate Everything,  2805, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Craftomaniac, Carolyns Homework, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots & Jello, Serenity Now, No Minimalist Here, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home, Redoux, 504 Main, 733 Blog, We Are That Family, Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  The Charm of Home, Delightsome Life, Anything Goes, Rooted in Thyme, Positively Splendid, Cedar Hill Ranch, Domestically Speaking, The Power of Paint

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Tea Towels + Plant Markers

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It’s Wednesday..

where is the week going!?

I thought I would take a moment to share

a few of the items that we just added in

our etsy shop…..since

there is still time to use the discount code:

1year20

for 20% your entire purchase through April 30.

I have had lots of fun making these

new Tea Towels for the shop

{*ahem* and for us here at home! :) }

I love flour sack towels….

and I’ve printed these with vintage advertisements,

some European and some American.

There are seven different prints.

Just click on each picture to be taken to the listing & info.

The European Tea Towel is included in the

Super Giveaway that ends on Friday!

I couldn’t decide which was my favorite……

so we have one of each around here!

Those of you that have been around here

for a while know we like to repurpose old, vintage

shutters into fun things…..like this.

So, we came up with another idea and

used some old, vintage shutters to make these fun

Chalkboard Garden Markers.

You can write on them with any chalk or chalk pen.

So, what do you think?

 Some more fun stuff will be coming soon…..

Blessings~

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Salad Garden in a Chicken Feeder……

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Well, if I can’t have chickens right now….

I can at least have a chicken feeder.

And plant salad in it! Right!!???

{I so badly want chickens….especially aracaunas,

with their gorgeous blue eggs.}

This past winter I found this great vintage chicken feeder

at The Nest….LOVE this store!

For the winter it lived on our new dining room sideboard

filled with some of our ironstone collection.

But now that the beautiful spring weather is here

I needed a special, protective spot for our salad garden.

**enter audible lightbulb sound**

The chicken feeder! Perfect!

 We nestled it among the spent daffodils and in front

of the hawthorne to give it a bit of a break from the heat.

A salad garden needs full sun….but here, where it gets

so very hot, it needs a bit of protection.

We can only grow salad plants here in Eastern NC through mid-June….

and then again in the autumn. They are cool weather plants.

 In the feeder we planted several different kinds of lettuces,

arugula, mustard greens, kale, salad burnet, etc.

  No matter where you live…or how much room you have…..

anyone can have a salad garden.  We use to keep salad and herb garden planters

on our patio when we first got married and lived in an apartment.

You can plant it in any kindof galvanized container….chicken feeder, tub,

water cooler, bucket, trash can, etc.

I actually knew of a man here in NC

that planted over two dozen galvanized trash cans with

flowers, herbs, vegetables, etc.  People would drive by

his house just to check out the “Trashcan Garden”.

It was really cool!

Here’s what you need:

any kind of container….preferably galvanized

potting soil…we like Organic Miracle Gro or Moisture Control

salad plants..try some new ones that you’ve never had before!

Here’s How Ya Do It:

1.  Drill holes in your container if it doesn’t already have any…not too many, though; just enough to have good drainage.

2. Fill your container with soil.

3.  Have fun planting your plants!  Fill in the container….don’t leave too much space!

4. Put it in a sunny spot

Don’t you guys love my long, drawn out, complicated tutorials?

If you haven’t already….head on over to enter our big giveaway!

Only a few days left…….

Enter here.

Happy Tuesday~

Sharing this long drawn out tutorial with:  Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Today’s Creative Blog, Not JUST a Housewife,  Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Whipperberry, The Idea Room,  Between Naps on the Porch, French Country Cottage, The Lettered Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, At the Picket Fence, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Common Ground,  DIY Showoff, Home Stories A to Z,  a.k.a. Design, Someday Crafts, Organize and Decorate Everything,  2805, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Craftomaniac, Carolyns Homework, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots & Jello, Serenity Now, No Minimalist Here, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home, Redoux, 504 Main, 733 Blog, We Are That Family, Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  The Charm of Home, Delightsome Life, Anything Goes, Rooted in Thyme, Positively Splendid, Cedar Hill Ranch

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Fun in the Garden….

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I hope you all had a super weekend!

It was beautiful here and we were outside Friday-Sunday.

Loved it!

We had a lot of fun planting this past weekend.

We  planted a salad garden {I’ll share about that later this week.}

And added lots of new herbs to the herb garden.

I thought I would share an idea that I shared at the very

beginning of this blog….since so many of you

weren’t with me then. :)

We love adding these Milk Crates filled with herbs or flowers

in neat places in our garden…nestled in somewhere.

*******

Milk Crate Herb Garden

{Originally posted last year}

It has been unbearably hot here for weeks now—and my poor herb garden is looking wimpy!  I have a large herb garden that I love and use almost everyday.  The unseasonable heat has made it hard to keep lush—SO, I started planting some small container herb gardens with my favorite, most used herbs; making it easier to keep moist and ready-to-use.

I love vintage metal baskets of any kind—-locker baskets, milk crates, etc.  I nab them whenever I see them.  I remember putting my towel and pool stuff in a locker basket each day at the pool when I was growing up.  {Remember those silver/galvanized?, metal pool pins you had to have to get into the pool?  They had a little number on them.  Love those, too. I sometimes kept mine on my towel—and it would leave rust spots by the end of the summer.}

This past weekend I pulled out one of my Flavo-Rich metal milk crates and filled it with a mini herb garden.  I love it—and it adds some fun character to a hole I had in the garden.  Nestled right in with the ballerina roses and gardenia.

Here’s What You Need:

metal crate of any kind

moss or window box/hanging basket fiber insert

potting soil–I like organic Miracle Grow with moisture control

herbs

Here’s How Ya Do It:

1.  Line your crate with the moss or fiber–you may have to cut it and piece it in to fit.  I had a round one on hand that I had to cut into several pieces.  Once you fill it with soil and plant it—the piecing will not show.  My crate has about 6 different pieces—but looks seamless.

2.  Fill with soil

3.  Plant herbs—to keep it from looking wimpy fill it up! There are six plants in my planter.  Just since this weekend {4 days ago} they have filled in and you can no longer see the dirt!  Looks great!  You will be harvesting them, so you want it to be lush.

4.  Find the just right spot to nestle it in!

5.  Soak it with water

While at the Farmer’s Market this past weekend I found the neatest plant to add to our garden!  Horseradish!  It grows very well here and is very prolific!  You harvest the roots in the fall —- we will have fresh, homemade horseradish!  So excited.  I’ll keep you updated on how it goes—new territory here, having to learn about it.  It is a perennial.  You harvest the larger roots and re-plant the others to come back and multiply for the next year. Fun!

***************
The horseradish is starting to come back for this year! Yay!
If you haven’t already….be sure to enter our SuperSized 1 Year Blogoversary Giveaway!
You can enter here.
ALSO, here’s a discount code for our etsy shop:

1year20

for 20% off your entire order!
We listed some fun new tea towels over the weekend.
Have a great Monday~

Sharing with:  Cedar Hill Ranch

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Chalkboard Lidded Jars

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I just love little jars….and fun ways to

store things or give as gifts.

If I have a jar that is a neat shape and I know I

can get the label off easily, I always save it.

{A great way to get labels off easily is to wash

the jars in the dishwasher…whatever doesn’t

automatically come off will come off easily

when it comes out of the dishwasher.}

My favorite little jars are the pimiento jars….

2 oz. and 4 oz.

They are so cute!

Here’s a fun way to create your own

fun storage jars…basically for free!

Save jars from food items you

already use, get the labels off

and then spray the lids with chalkboard paint.

{1 can costs between $3-$4….and will paint

probably 40 jar lids!}

Here’s what you need:

Chalkboard spray paint

saved jars with labels removed

Here’s how ya do it:

1.  Put your lids on newspaper…ready to spray.

2.  Spray lids with 2-3 coats of chalkboard paint

{It will look shiny until it dries…it dries VERY fast!}

3. Be sure to paint the underside as well.

4. Allow to dry well and then put on jars!

Taaahhhhhhhh-Daaahhhhhh!

I just love these!

They are great to have on hand to take little gifts

to neighbors, teachers, hostess gifts…..

wonderful to take condiments and extras with meals to others.

Great to store herbs and seeds in, as well!

Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for a BIG, FUN giveaway!

We will be 1 !

Blessings~

Sharing with:  Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Today’s Creative Blog, Not JUST a Housewife,  Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Whipperberry, The Idea Room,  Between Naps on the Porch, French Country Cottage, The Lettered Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, At the Picket Fence, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Common Ground,  DIY Showoff, Home Stories A to Z,  a.k.a. Design, Someday Crafts, Organize and Decorate Everything,  2805, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Craftomaniac, Carolyns Homework, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots & Jello, Serenity Now, No Minimalist Here, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home, Redoux, 504 Main, 733 Blog, We Are That Family, Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  The Charm of Home, Delightsome Life, Anything Goes, Rooted in Thyme, Positively Splendid, Cedar Hill Ranch, Domestically Speaking, The Power of Paint

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Your Handy Dandy Tip of the Day!

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It’s overdue….you need one.

A tip of the day!

OK, OK…..here it is:

We love these little sugar-free treats

called Ice Breakers.

We discovered that their labels peel

off extremely easily.

They are great to store small items in

like: hair pins/barettes {you know, to hoist up camisoles, etc.},

paper clips, small nails, dried spices/herbs, etc.

Most of them have a large opening on one side

and a small opening on the other.

Let your imagination go wild!

Another benefit?

I’ve just given you a reason to go

purchase some treats. :)

You’re welcome.

I’m always happy to help.

Happy Tuesday~

Sharing this life-changing tip with:  Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Today’s Creative Blog, Not JUST a Housewife,  Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Whipperberry, The Idea Room,  Between Naps on the Porch, French Country Cottage, The Lettered Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, At the Picket Fence, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Common Ground,  DIY Showoff, Home Stories A to Z,  a.k.a. Design, Someday Crafts, Organize and Decorate Everything,  2805, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Craftomaniac, Carolyns Homework, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots & Jello, Serenity Now, No Minimalist Here, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home, Redoux, 504 Main, 733 Blog, We Are That Family, Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  The Charm of Home, Delightsome Life, Anything Goes, Rooted in Thyme, Positively Splendid, Cedar Hill Ranch

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Vintage Sheet Music Eggs

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I wanted to share some fun ways to decorate eggs….

and what we did last week with ours.

We also plan to dye eggs next week.

We wrapped plastic eggs in strips of vintage sheet music.

Here’s what you need for this project:

~  Cheap plastic Easter eggs

~ masking tape

~ Golden’s matte medium or Mod Podge

~ Strips of paper….your choice.  We used vintage sheet music, but some other fun options would be:  scrapbook paper, tissue paper, wrapping paper, newspaper, vintage children’s book paper, brown paper bags, or any other paper that fits your personality and liking.

Here’s how you do it:

1.  Tape the cracks of each plastic egg with masking tape….so they won’t fall apart.

2. Cut your paper into strips….1/2″ in width is great.

3. Cover the plastic egg in either matte medium or Mod Podge. If you do not do a lot of artwork you don’t need to invest in matte medium…Mod Podge is the less expensive option for this step and works just fine.

4. Begin wrapping your egg with the strips of paper and going over each strip w/ more matte medium or Mod Podge. {Excuse the bad pic….I had goop all over my hands.}

5. When your eggs are completely covered….lay them out to dry.

Voila!  You’re done!

We’ve had fun putting them in different places around the house.

Here is my favorite way to dye eggs…

{This picture is from Dreamy Whites….we have not dyed our eggs yet this year.}

Here is where you can find the directions for dying….using all natural food from the kitchen with white vinegar.

Another fun way to decorate eggs is with temporary tattoos….kids would have a blast with that.

Follow the same directions that you would to put the tattoo on skin…and tah-daaaaaahhhhh,

you will have a tattooed egg! {Boys really like this one!}

Are you decorating eggs this year?

Sharing this idea with:  Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie, Today’s Creative Blog, Not JUST a Housewife,  Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Whipperberry, The Idea Room,  Between Naps on the Porch, French Country Cottage, The Lettered Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, Funky Junk Interiors, At the Picket Fence, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Common Ground,  DIY Showoff, Home Stories A to Z,  a.k.a. Design, Someday Crafts, Organize and Decorate Everything,  2805, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Craftomaniac, Carolyns Homework, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots & Jello, Serenity Now, No Minimalist Here, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home, Redoux, 504 Main, 733 Blog, We Are That Family, Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  The Charm of Home, Delightsome Life, Centsational Girl, Anything Goes, Jennifer Rizzo

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Trouser Hangers…

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I thought I would share a fun way to hang things up…..

making it easy to switch things out, as well.

{This is great for kids’ artwork…in those prolific years.

You can hang a few up each week and change them out!}

Trouser Hangers…

even the new ones look vintage.  My favorites are

the actual vintage trouser hangers; but the new ones

are great, too.  You can paint them or use them as is.

They make a great wall display to hang several in a row or

in a fun shape.  For those of you that aren’t into vintage *gasp!*

they would look so fun painted bright colors…or black and white.

They are made of wood…so they would be so easy to paint

with any kind of paint.

For a teens room….wouldn’t it be neat to paint them

in glow-in-the-dark paint….and then they could switch out

pictures or artwork whenever they choose?

These would look so great with 8 x 10 photos as a gallery wall.

The possibilities are endless.

We have also used them in our office to organize  papers…..

the “in” hanger and the “out” hanger.

The “to do” hanger and the “done” hanger.

OK…I’m getting a little loopy.

You get the picture.

‘Hang’ in there~

Sharing with:  Skip to My Lou, Tip Junkie,Today’s Creative Blog, Not JUST a Housewife,  Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Whipperberry, The Idea Room,  Between Naps on the Porch, French Country Cottage, The Lettered Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, House of Hepworth’s, Funky Junk Interiors, At the Picket Fence, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Stuff and Nonsense, Common Ground,  DIY Showoff, Home Stories A to Z,  a.k.a. Design, Someday Crafts, Organize and Decorate Everything,  2805, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Craftomaniac, Carolyns Homework, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots & Jello, Be Different Act Normal, Serenity Now, Chatty Chics, No Minimalist Here, DIY By Design, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home, Redoux, Just A Girl, 504 Main, 733 Blog, We Are That Family, Creating Really Awesome Free Things, Handy Man Crafty Woman,  The Charm of Home, Delightsome Life

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Mixed Media Wreath

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I took some fun art classes over the month of December from several

fabulous artists…..so much fun! And I’m ready to use some of the new techniques that I’ve learned!

Lately around here we have been in the clean out/list-making/organizing mode;

which means I haven’t been able to make very many things.

But, I took some fun time out over the weekend to

make this fun, new, mixed media wreath…

all with just scraps that I had on my art shelves.

The only thing I had to purchase was a styrofoam wreath form

and several styrofoam balls.

Some of the scraps that I used were:  burlap, yarn, vintage papers, buttons, various

leftover sewing materials, decorative pins, etc.

Now that my art shelves are cleaned out and organized….

I’m itching to start those many projects that I’ve been

“list-making” about!  We have some pretty fun projects planned

for 2012…..how about you?

Have you made anything for your home lately?

Sharing with: Skip to My Lou, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Tip Junkie,Today’s Creative Blog, Not JUST a Housewife,  Blue Cricket Design, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Whipperberry, The Idea Room,  Between Naps on the Porch, French Country Cottage, The Lettered Cottage, Thrifty Decor Chick, House of Hepworth’s, Funky Junk Interiors, At the Picket Fence, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Stuff and Nonsense, Common Ground,  DIY Showoff, Home Stories A to Z,  a.k.a. Design, Someday Crafts, Organize and Decorate Everything,  2805, Making the World Cuter, The Girl Creative, Craftomaniac, Carolyns Homework, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots & Jello, Be Different Act Normal, Serenity Now, Chatty Chics, No Minimalist Here, DIY By Design, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home, Freckled Laundry, Beneath My Heart

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