Now that Fall is here, all the outdoor dining and BBQs have to be brought inside. And I’m ok with that. I love setting a pretty table. Fancy folded cloth napkins instantly make a place setting feel special for your guests, especially when you add pretty fresh flowers.

I’m having fun playing with this pretty blush and camel combo. I want to try a new palette for Fall, browns and oranges seem overdone, I’m ready to try something new.

Now head over and check out the full how-to tutorial over on eHow today!

As a mom of three or maybe just being a women, I feel like I’ve just got so much stuff to get from point A to point B. A girl really can’t have too many bags, so I decided I needed a big, but still stylish tote for those days that require carrying more then just a purse. This DIY Reversible Bandana Bag with Leather Straps instantly makes whatever I’m wearing look so much more trendy. I’m loving bandanas these days, I’ve been wearing them tied around my neck and on the straps of my purse.

This is really a great beginner sewing project. Actually, everything I sew is super simple, straight-lines-only, sewing. I’ve got detailed step-by-step instructions to walk you through every step of this project. Be sure to check out the full how-to over on eHow!

I’m starting to think about the holidays already, and this might be a cute gift I could make for some of the ladies in my life. And with bandanas coming is every color under the rainbow, I could add a pop of color to the inside of some of the bags.

So, are you loving the bandana trend? Does it feel too cowboy/country or maybe like you are a part of a gang? Well, usually I don’t feel very trendy, but I’m embracing this one whole heartedly. I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of this here.

Be sure to check out the full tutorial HERE!

If you’ve been following me for a while now, you know that I LOVE making cool, customized pieces for my home with my Cricut Explore Machine. It’s really my favorite crafting tool ever!

And do you remember when I got to design a whole bunch of fun projects for the Cricut Gold Machine for JoAnn? Well, if you don’t remember, I’m about to remind you – be sure to check out the Half Moon Wall Hanging, Geometric Patterned Edge Throw, these fabulous pillows, and also these fun Tropical Leaf Napkins. When we moved this last month and I unpacked our kitchen boxes, I realized that my kitchen linens had seen better days. My oven mitts, pot holders and dish towels were stained and just down right ugly. So, I decided to add a little style to our kitchen linens by customizing them with some of the modern geometric patterns I’d designed for the Cricut Gold Machine.

Using the metallic gold, glitter gold and white iron-on vinyl, I cut out a couple different sizes of this pattern. (And if you don’t own a Cricut, you can still use this awesome iron-on material and just cut out simple shapes with a pair of scissors.) And then I just ironed the patterns onto generic, inexpensive grey towels and oven mitts.

Now I’m drying dishes and grabbing pots in style!

This post is sponsored by Cricut, thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible. 

Well, I’m just about ready to tackle some more wallpaper in our house. It’s a messy job, but I think we have a pretty good system down. We opted to not use harsh chemicals or expensive steamers.  The sunroom wallpaper came off a lot easier then we thought it would. And those white walls make me VERY happy.Please don’t be tempted to paint over wallpaper. This is not a shortcut you want to take. You’re walls will look so much better if you strip all the wallpaper off and start with clean bare walls.

We did a little pinterest research and I followed Cyd of The Sweetest Occasion‘s dawn soap suggestion she shared on Snapchat.

So, here’s what worked for us.You’ll need:

• spray bottle
• Dawn dish soap
• painter’s tape with plastic drop cloth attached
• wallpaper scorer
• wallpaper scraper

Step 1:

Tape all the way around the room with the painter’s tape drop cloth. This is a messy, wet job. You will want to protect your floors.

Step 2:

Using the wallpaper scorer, run the scorer over all the walls. You do not want to apply a lot of pressure or you will damage the walls. Just move in a circular motion to create tiny holes all over the walls.Step 3:

Mix one part dawn dish soap with 5 parts warm water in a spray bottle. Work on one wall at a time. Spray down the entire wall with the warm, soapy mixture. Be generous! And then allow the solution to sit on the walls for about 5 minutes.

*Warning* – Even though this is just soap and water, the smell is pretty strong and it kind of hurts your eyes. Step 4:

Using a wallpaper scraper, begin to scrape away the soggy wallpaper. If some wallpaper is stubborn, spray down generously with more warm soapy water.Step 5:

As you begin to scrape, you will be able to peel off some bigger pieces of wallpaper.

Step 6:

Once all the wallpaper is removed, wipe down the walls well with a rag and warm water. Remember you have soaked the walls in soapy water, all the residue needs to be removed in order to prep for painting. You will need to wipe and rinse down the walls at least 3 or 4 times.And now you can paint!!!! I know wallpaper is making a strong comeback, but this room feels so much bigger and brighter without busy, floral wallpaper. I do plan to add some wallpaper to a room or two in this house, but whether I paint or re-wallpaper, starting with clean, bare walls is definitely the first step.

Do you have some wallpaper removal tips or tricks? I’d love to hear what has worked for you.

We are spending as much time as possible in pools, lakes, rivers, and the ocean. When it’s this hot, a swim is the best way to cool off. And if you are headed for a swim, a beach towel is a must. These DIY Boho Beach Towels were a lot of fun to make. I used $4 white towels from Target and dressed them up with some fun tie dying and a little tasseled trim.

Check out the full how-to on ehow today!

‘Tis the definitely the season for eating outdoors and cooking on the grill.  And corn on the cob is on the menu often at our house. Corn is one of those versatile foods that goes well with everything.  I love corn with hot sauce and Mexican cheese and also with fresh herbs and pestos, so I came up with a couple new favorites for this Summer – Parmesan Thyme and Coconut Curry (come back tomorrow for the recipes). And if you are going to drench corn in yummy, messy flavor, corn on the cute cob holders are a must.

If you are classy, you eat corn on the cob with cute little holders. So, I made some simple geometric holders to take our dining experience up a notch. I should note that I used non-food grade paint and glue on these holder, but technically the part of the corn you eat never touches the holders.  But, if you would rather be not use paint, I think these would look great just left in the natural wood coloring as well.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 inch wooden blocks (found at the craft store)
• spray paint on craft pain in a couple of colors
• 1 5/8″ painted steel nails
• drill and 2 sizes of bits
• E6000 glue

To start, you’ll want to paint the blocks.  I chose black, gold, white and left some natural wood.Start by drilling, with the smaller drill bit, a hole in the center of half of the wooden blocks.Then attach the larger drill bit and drill just a short distance into the wooden block.  This is to create a space for the nail head to sit, so that is is flush with the surface of the block.Place a nail into the hole and make sure that the nail head sits flat. Add a small amount of E6000 glue to the top of the block, where the nail head is and then adhere another wooden cube at a 45 degree angle.  Allow them to dry overnight.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for two yummy grilled corn on the cob recipes – Coconut Curry and Parmesan Thyme. 

When I started planning our Laundry Room renovation, I planned on getting new ironing board cover to go with the updated space. But, it turns out, cute ironing board covers are hard to come by. If you are ok with florals and generic, neutral colors choices then you can definitely buy one. But, I wanted something modern and fresh, so I decided I had to make one.

Sewing is probably my first crafting love, and I just don’t get out my sewing machine often enough. This is a really easy sewing project, and even if you haven’t used a sewing machine much at all before, this is a project you definitely can tackle.  In about an hour, you’ll have a fun new cover sewn for your ironing board.

You can find the full how-to here, on ehow.

We’ve been eating most of our meals outdoors. I decided we needed a place to store all our outdoor dishes and also give us one more surface to serve from, so I made an outdoor buffet cabinet. This was a really fun DIY. I took a couple inexpensive metal cabinets from IKEA, made a custom tiled tray top for it and ta-da, we have a new Outdoor Buffet!

You can see all the step-by-step instructions for this fun project over on ehow today. If you haven’t tried tiling before, I highly recommend it. I had so much fun making this tray top, I’m ready to tile something else, SOON!

And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made these yummy Grapefruit Jalapeno Lime Mocktail Margaritas.  It’s my new, go-to Summer drink!