A Colorful, Fun, and Nostalgic Christmas: My Home Style Christmas Tree Edition
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A Colorful, Fun, and Nostalgic Christmas: My Home Style Christmas Tree Edition

Christmas can be the most joyous time of year. Or it can be a fireball of anxiety and chaos. This year, I choose joy. So if you’re also craving a Christmas that’s just a little more laidback and fun-focused, you’ve come to the right place! Here’s how I let loose and let my family enjoy the holiday without all the micromanagement of years gone by…

Colorful Christmas Porch: Vintage Candy Shop Theme with Rainbows
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Colorful Christmas Porch: Vintage Candy Shop Theme with Rainbows

This is our second Christmas in the California Bungalow and we’re continuing the tradition of our themed Christmas porch decorations. This year, since the house is black, we’ve gone full rainbow with our porch and yard decor. Here’s how I created a festive and fun front porch on a budget …

Christmas Porch Decorations: Oversized Ornament DIY (from trash!)
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Christmas Porch Decorations: Oversized Ornament DIY (from trash!)

I’m always looking for fun ways to re-use items that would otherwise go into a landfill. For this Christmas Upcycle, I turned my kid’s deflated toy balls into oversized ornaments to hang on our front porch! It’s an easy and cheap trash-to-treasure story. Here’s how I did it …

DIY Cardboard Gingerbread Houses: An Easy Kid’s Christmas Table Activity Idea
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DIY Cardboard Gingerbread Houses: An Easy Kid’s Christmas Table Activity Idea

This year, I’m coming up with low-cost ways to keep the kids entertained at home while feeling festive for the holidays. Here’s an easy way to repurpose all those cardboard boxes into a fun craft for kids. Bonus points: You can make this a tradition and use it as a kid’s Christmas table activity for your pod family to enjoy! Here’s how I created gingerbread house placemats that double as holiday decorating fun for kids …

Ikea Step Stool Hack: Faking The Vintage Look With Wrapping Paper
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Ikea Step Stool Hack: Faking The Vintage Look With Wrapping Paper

Finding vintage home decor can be expensive and time-consuming. When you’re in a pinch and you don’t want to search all over for the perfect antique piece to match your historic home, you can fake the look. Here’s how I turned an inexpensive stool from Ikea into a viable fake family heirloom with paint, mod podge, and wrapping paper …

DIY Vintage Sign: How To Get The Authentic Old Advertising Look With Paint
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DIY Vintage Sign: How To Get The Authentic Old Advertising Look With Paint

Last Winter, we were asked to take part in our neighborhood’s Annual Home Tour. Since we’d only been in our bungalow for a few months and weren’t planning to renovate, the interior wasn’t much to look at. To make up for our home’s lackluster appearance, I decided to go all out on the front porch holiday decor. I built the theme around a vintage-looking lodge sign I DIYed with some paint and a piece of MDF. Here’s how I did it…

Holidays In The Kid’s Workspace: Adding Schoolhouse Style for Christmas
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Holidays In The Kid’s Workspace: Adding Schoolhouse Style for Christmas

Our daughter is headed back into a virtual learning environment and we’re a little bummed. We know she’s going to miss all the fun holiday activities she would otherwise have participated in during Kindergarten. So we’re giving her a fun, new workspace where she can learn and feel inspired. Come see how we’ve added some holiday cheer to help boost her enthusiasm about learning from home…

Ikea Hemnes Dresser Makeover: Removing Dark Wood Stain
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Ikea Hemnes Dresser Makeover: Removing Dark Wood Stain

Do you have a sturdy piece of furniture that’s showing its age? I know the feeling. Our daughter’s dresser is over ten years old and while it’s still holding up strong, the wear and tear of four moves + life with a toddler and two cats was making it look like a piece of junk. So today, I’m showing you how to remove factory stain finishes from wood furniture to breathe new life into your old stuff. Here’s how I turned a 10 year-old Ikea Hemnes dresser into a cute statement piece for a kid’s bedroom …

How To Stain Laminate Furniture – A Paint Trick For Changing Fake Wood Colors
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How To Stain Laminate Furniture – A Paint Trick For Changing Fake Wood Colors

It’s week two of the 555 Room Challenge and today I’m showing you how I updated two IKEA chests. The catch? They’re not real wood. Here’s how I changed the wood tone from a white washed grey to a modern blonde wood without sanding or ruining the laminate finish. Plus, an update on my daughter’s bedroom design with exclusive sneak peeks on how the room is coming together…

Easiest Cookie Decorating Ideas
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Easiest Cookie Decorating Ideas

It’s that time of year again! The Cookie Swap Party invitations are rolling in. Usually, I panic about what I should bake and bring to these cookie parties but this year, I’ve figured out a very simple process for decorating cookies that make my cookies look super professional! Here’s how I faked baking expertise using an easy family sugar cookie recipe and some melting candy.