J.O.Y.

Today was

"project day"

for me around here.

Finally!

The boys were at school and Will took Ellison out for the day so that I could get some things accomplished without the endless interruptions that occur when everyone is here.

I was alone.

In my own home.

(I was giddy!)

It's a rare occurence, so I took full advantage of it.

One of my projects was to get the built-in-cubbies in the entryway ready for Christmas. Since this is our first winter with our newly built organization system, I went through each of my boxes of Christmas decor looking for just the right items to dress them up.

Garland and berries were a given.

Pinecones too.

And red Christmas balls.

But I didn't have anything to fill the empty space in the display cubbies.

So I added a little...

J O Y

I had Will cut three 4 & 1/2" x 12" strips of pine board that I could lean against the back of the cubby. I wanted to add more green to the decor mix, so I painted them an apple green and then washed the boards with a watered down mix of black and brick red craft paint. (This was a use-what-you've-got project, so I made do with what I had)...

I painted on the letters the same way that I did on the oar in our Master Bedroom. I wanted these letters to have a hint of sparkle, so after the white paint dried, I went back over it and painted on a thin, white line of paint following the right hand side of each letter. It acted as my glue for the glitter...

It took no time at all and I think they turned out great!

The apple green ties in perfectly with the ornament wreath that the boys and I made last night...

I'll be posting more about this in a few days, but for now I'll say...

if you follow Sarah's instructions to a T, you won't have any problems.

If you don't, well...you may end up just as frustrated as I did!

Don't get me wrong, the wreath is super cute, inexpensive (a pack of 5 shatter-proof ornaments for $1.00 - nice!), and easy (I use that term lightly) to make, but if you don't take the necessary preparations, it ends up being a huge pain...

I'll be making another wreath, for sure.

This time following her instructions...

I would love to make a pink wreath for Ellison's room.

A blue one for Owen's room.

William would love a green one of his own.


They're addicting, I tell you! You can't buy a wreath this cute for this cheap!


I had other plans for this wreath when I began the project, but it turned out much smaller than I had anticipated. I had about 40 ornaments to work with, so if you're going for a big wreath, you're going to have to get lots and lots of ornaments!

This one found it's place hanging on a hook in the entryway...

As for the overall look...

I like it...a lot!

I did another project in the entryway today.

A big one.

But it's not quite finished yet.

I've been wanting to do this for so long...

but I had to be sure that I was making the right decision.

Turns out...I did!

Can't wait to show you!




P.S. I am posting this over at:

Today's Creative Blog for Get Your Craft On
DIY Day over at A Soft Place To Land
The DIY Show Off's Holiday Highlights
Celebrate The Holiday's at It's So Very Cheri
Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Thrifty Thursday at Tales From Bloggeritaville

Furniture Feature Friday at Mustard Seed Creations

My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

The Inspired Room for Holiday Linky Friday

Finding Fabulous at Frugalicious Friday
Poppies At Play for Creative Cats
Show And Tell at Blue Cricket Design

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors
DIY Ornament Party at Centsational Girl