Anyone Can Decorate

Glamping Revisited and Some Exciting News!!!

2018-04-27T12:54:00.000-07:00

My most popular blog posts have always been my DIY GLAMPING trips. Although I haven't blogged in awhile, I wanted to revisit my first Glamping trip and also share some fun news!

I am happy to share that last year we purchased a vintage tent trailer. I am in the process of giving it a "makeover" and am about 85% complete at this time. We have planned three camping/glamping trips for this Summer (2018). I can't wait to finish this fun project, go camping and photograph it for you all to see. I will share it on the blog later this summer!

Happy Glamping!

Below is a revisit of our first DIY Glamping Trip...

When you think of camping, do you think it's messy, dirty, uncomfortable, full of bugs and lacks any kind of luxury? Many women I know don't care to go camping unless they are in a nice motor-home or RV and most would probably rather just go to a hotel or resort. A couple of years ago I set out to show that camping can be very nice, in fact this trip was the opposite of most peoples impressions of camping is!!! Welcome to our DIY camping/GLAMPING trip...

Loving decorating as much as I do, I can't just go camping, so a couple of years ago I decided to start going GLAMPING... which translates to Glamorous Camping. For me "Glamping" means having all the comforts of home all around us and decorating our surrounding space with a comfortable homelike feel.

My Glamping must haves include a comfy bed with nice linens... also, both a shower and a flushing toilet within a couple minutes walk and restaurants in the area so we didn't have to do all of our own cooking or dishes... oh, and lots and lots of candles!!!

Above is a picture of our car at our camp site after we had already started unloading it's contents. I had it packed literally from top to bottom. Seriously, I could not have fit anything else inside!!! I had so much packed and puzzled in every nook and cranny of our vehicle. Luckily my hubby never complained and is fully supportive of all my decorating craziness :)

I will post several pictures so you can get a feel for what it was like actually being there. If you like what you see, I would love it if you could PIN them to Pinterest and share them with your friends!

A few minutes after we arrived at our campsite, my hubby scouted the campsite for a good flat spot and he got to putting up our tent. Below is a picture of the tent about 25 minutes later.

I realize that many people don't like tent camping, but as long as you have air mattresses or an airbed it really can be very comfortable! Air mattresses are very easy to use and roll up small for easy transport. To see what kind I use visit HERE.

I had planned to hang mason and jelly jars from the trees with candles in them. I used battery operated flicker candles since there were fire rules in the forest. As you can see below all of my jars have wire hangars on them so I could hang the jars from the trees. However, when we arrived I discovered that all of the trees were like 100 feet tall or more and I had absolutely no way to get them up into the trees, so instead I put them all over our site at different levels to add ambiance. My husband actually went and found a tree laying on it's side in the forest and cut these stumps for me to use as tables. He also cut us our own firewood... (I'm married to such a stud... lucky me!).

The wooden box below is an old grenade crate with rope handles that I found at a flea market for only $3. I've since seen them for sale on ETSY and eBay for anywhere from $50 to $150... I so love finding bargains for just a few dollars! I used the crate to transport all of my hanging mason jars and then was able to use it as a decorative piece at the camp site... love it!

This wall hanging birdcage was found at a thrift store for $3. I painted it, added some nesting material, hung a few sparkling crystal prisms from it and popped in a couple of battery operated tea-light candles into it. Since we were outdoors, I incorporated a few birdcages and birdhouses into the decor.

The weather was perfect and the view from our windows was stunning!

Having a bed off of the floor and having end tables when camping made it feel so much more like home! And it's a ton more comfortable!!! The wood end table on the left I found on clearance at Home Depot for just $11. It folds completely flat which made for easy transport. The little round table on the right I found at a vintage store. It was originally black, but I painted it white for that shabby cottage chic look.

I made this battery operated chandelier from a birdcage that I found for $10 at Marshalls, a strand of LED Lights, some nesting material and a couple of faux candles that were also battery operated. I used a bunch of crystal prisms (leftover from prior crafts) add hung them from the bottom making it feel like a real chandelier. The chandelier added a nice touch of romance to our tent.

Once we zipped up the windows we had complete privacy.

The entire campsite decor was initially inspired by this vintage wooden Pepsi box crate that I found at a flea market a few weeks ago. I paid just $5 for it, and with it I was inspired to go with a red, white and blue theme. Also being that 4th of July/Independence Day was close, I figured patriotic colors were appropriate.

Below is a wooden box that I added rose furniture appliques to and then I painted it Heirloom White and distressed it for a shabby look. I added mason jars to it to and used them to hold our designer plastic silverware (hehe)...

I loved lighting the candles and chandelier as the sun went down. It added a warm glow and soft ambiance to our campsite. We were out in the forest with hundreds of huge trees and we had created our own wonderful romantic haven... It was our home for the weekend.

My parents stopped in for a visit and my father said, "Wow, so you can be homeless and still live in style". He got a huge kick out of the fact that I would go to all this trouble... but he loved it!

The framed chalkboard on the table that says "welcome glampers" was made from a vintage frame I found for just $2 at a swap meet. I spray painted the frame Heirloom White and then painted a wood backer board (that fit inside the frame) with Rust-Oleum Chalkboard paint.

I love making my own chalkboards from inexpensive vintage finds!

As I mentioned earlier, I gave the chandelier light by using Battery Operated LED Lights. They put off a good amount of light and one set of batteries lasts quite a long time.

You can see how at night the campsite had a nice warm glow using different kinds of battery operated lighting.

Our favorite restaurant was only about 10 minutes away from where we camped, so the only cooking we did during our trip was make s'mores over the campfire. We toasted/roasted marshmallows until they were oooey and gooey, put them between two graham crackers and added a square of Hershey's chocolate in the middle, waited for it to melt together and then happily indulged. YUM!!!

Saturday afternoon we met friends at their dock on the lake, barbecued, boated and knee boarded. Well, I didn't actually knee board, but I did live vicariously through those that did... lol.

As we sped around the lake we slowed down to see a few of the amazing homes that surround the lake. This little mountain cabin is available for $16,000,000. Okay, so it's a major mansion... but 16 million... That is crazy!!! But I do imagine it has an amazing view.

I have always thought this next place was incredibly awesome. It has a boat house directly under the house. So very cool!

Lake Arrowhead has a village that has lots of fun shops, restaurants, a grocery store and more. When you have a boat on the lake, you can take your boat to the village and dock while you shop, eat, stroll around the village and visit their summer concerts. That would be so much fun... You would never have to use your car. Imagine, just hop in your boat and run your errands.

Sunday morning we packed up our car like a puzzle filling each and every hole... Somehow we managed to squeeze everything back in!

We had a wonderful weekend and are looking forward to going Glamping again soon!

Would you go Glamping if it was like this?

Diana

Getting Organized in the Kitchen

2016-03-22T05:00:00.000-07:00

Awhile back I did some organizing in my kitchen. I love the few changes I made and am planning to do some more soon. My Tupperware cupboard solution (seen below) is one of my favorite improvements. I had been super frustrated with my Tupperware and plastic containers cupboard. It was just a couple of shelves crammed full of miscellaneous lids and containers... and every time I unloaded the dishwasher whatever I put into the cupboard managed to get shoved to the very back. I researched online to see what I could find... I found a couple of brands that appealed to me. Rev-A-Shelf and ClosetMaid. I ended up going with the Closetmaid because it was an inexpensive solution to my problem. Since plasticware isn't heavy, these ClosetMaid wire basket pull outs were the perfect choice. They were super easy to install and they work really well. I'm loving having some organization to my island cabinets!

While I was looking at other options for organization, I found several other items that I am interested in eventually adding to my kitchen and pantry. This can organizer looks like it would free up a ton of room on the shelves. It's called the Cansolidator 40-Can Pantry Shelf Organizer (clever name!). It is the can system shown below. This is great for putting in a cupboard. No more not seeing what is in the back of the cupboard (yipee)... Also, I love that you put the food into the top slot and it comes out the bottom. So it self rotates your food. As long as you always use cans from the bottom, you are using the oldest dated can first. Here are some great inspiration pictures of this system.

These make such great use of cupboard space (or lack of cupboard space, depending on the situation)... and nothing gets buried in the back of the cabinet. I so could have used these back in my small condo!

You can even use them in the refrigerator for sodas or beer.

It's pretty cool that you can stack them and they connect side by side. Also they can widths are adjustable (notice even the thin tuna can slot on the bottom). I want these for my pantry!

Below are links via Amazon to the great organizational items that I mentioned above... I love that I am able to find everything I am looking for on Amazon and it is so convenient!

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Happy Organizing!

Diana

Relevant + Raw - My Daughters New Online Decor Shop

2015-10-08T16:32:00.001-07:00

I'd like to introduce you all to my daughter, Britney. During the past year she has been exploring her creative side. She found that she has a love for working with wood. Two months ago she decided to quit her desk job and start her own business. RelevantRaw.com

Britney spent the past two months creating several beautiful home decor items, picking a custom color pallet, designing her website, photographing product and finalizing all of the little details. Her shop launch was last week (October 1st). Her first items have all been shipped and she is so excited! Below are a few photos of some of her creations that are my favorites. You can visit her shop to see more of her beauties //

www.RelevantRaw.com

Relevant + Raw offers fun air-plant holders in several shapes, different geometric shelves, a few styles of arrows, wood signs with hand caligraphy, and more...

She also has an ETSY store where she lists some of her items. Links to both shops are below...

Etsy.com/shop/RelevantRaw

RelevantRaw.com

I am so proud of her and all she has accomplished so far. As her mom it's been fun seeing her creative side develop and I can't wait to seeing her business grow. I hope you all will like her shop!

Blessings,

Diana

Gone Glamping - A DIY Glamorous Camping Trip

2015-09-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

This Glamping trip was so fun and we got so many great photos that I wanted to be sure to share plenty of them with you. So this is going to be a longer than normal post. I hope you enjoy looking around!

Earlier this summer we went camping in our local Southern California mountains. Only we didn't just want to go camping, we had a DIY Glamping weekend. If you aren't familiar with Glamping, it means literally glamorous camping. So rather than just sleeping in sleeping bags and having a lantern, we took it up several notches using fine linens, air beds, chandeliers, romantic lighting, candles, flowers and more.

When we arrived at the campground we first spread everything out on the table to see what we were working with. Tents went up and then it was time to have some decorating fun. We did get a bit of a drizzle/sprinkling rain the first night so some items couldn't come out until morning. Luckily the rain didn't amount to much more than a light sprinkle and we ended up with gorgeous sunny weather all weekend.

Our supportive hubbies and kids helped us set up the basics. Then it was up to myself and my partner in crime Jhen to do the rest.

We decided to deck out a EZ-up frame by using Ikea mesh curtain panels all the way around to add some romantic ambience to our site. A plastic folding table became a beautiful stage for an elegant dinner setting. Sadly we never actually ate at this table since we didn't have room to pack chairs, and we ended up eating out. There were plenty of restaurants in our area and after all when glamping, cooking just wasn't part of our equation. The only actual cooking we did was making s'mores :)

As we were assembling this tent area and then setting the table, many people stopped by to ask us if we were setting up for a wedding. Most were fascinated with the fact that we were Glamping (even men stopped by and thought it was cool).

Our beautiful table once it had been set.

The gauzy mesh fabric looked beautiful as it swayed in the breeze!

Here is the first glimpse of our tents. They are just basic camping tents, but we beautified up the insides. This campground has such a stunning backdrop it made for beauty all around us!

We put a chalkboard sign at the entrance of each tent with each tents name on it. Since the larger tent is a 8-10 person family tent that was used for just my hubby and I, we named it "The Walker Estate".

I used two Air Mattresses side by side to give this a king bed look. We like using two extra long twin mattresses side by side because that way when one of us rolls over it doesn't wake the other person up. Also, my husband likes his mattress firmer and I like mine softer. We are able to adjust the amount of air we put into each to give us each our preferred comfort. To add an extra touch of glam we each added a bed top serving tray.

How sweet is this petite chandelier. We used this same style chandy in both tents. The chandelier is lightweight (weighing less than three pounds) and I used battery operated candle lights in it for safety. The battery operated lights even have a remote control.

The smaller tent was named "Stark Bungalow". We managed to fit a chandelier in both tents proving that no space is too small to glam up!

The lightweight chandeliers were perfect for both of our tents. The battery operated candle lights gave off a perfect soft glow.

We used battery operated string lights and candles all over the site to add nighttime elegance to our space. In the above picture you can see some of the lights even though it wasn't nighttime yet.

Camping and Glamping both would not be complete without making s'mores. Below is our s'more tray which included gluten free graham crackers for those that needed them. The little metal framed chalkboard sign can be found here. We used a white paint pen to make the sign permanent. I also used chalkboard labels on the glass jars.

At night our entire camp was aglow. We had lights, chandeliers and candles everywhere. Most of the lights and candles were battery operated. Some of the string lights were solar powered which was really nice since they come on automatically at dusk and work as long as the sun shines during the day to charge them. Here in California that isn't a problem! I now have the white solar string lights in my back yard and they are wonderful.

I didn't get a very good photo in the tents after dark, but this next photo gives you the idea of how the lighting felt at night.

We had a few other comforts like this USB solar power charger we used for charging our cell phones, Bluetooth speakers to play music and of course spare batteries for all of the battery powered lights and candles we had all over camp.

I was impressed that all of our battery operated items lasted all weekend and we didn't even need the extra batteries. But I was glad I was prepared!

During the day we had a chance to visit some friends at Lake Arrowhead and spend some time out on their boat. We had a beautiful tour of the lake and then enjoyed a barbecue on their dock.

The house he is pointing at is my favorite house on the lake. It has a double dock house underneath. You can pull a boat right inside your own boat garage.... Lake-house goals :)

This was our gang for the weekend. Thank you Jhen (From Here to Eternity) for all of your help and for taking photos with me. It was our first time collaborating together and we worked seamlessly together! Our weekend was a huge success and we had a amazing time!!

Happy Glamping!

Click here to see photos from our prior Glamping trip.

Blessings,
xo

Diana

Simple Patriotic Candy Display

2015-06-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

This Fourth of July candy display is super simple to do.... And its yummy too!!!

I used a variety of mason jars and other clear containers... filled them each with red, white and/or blue candies or treats and then tied simple patriotic colored ribbons around them.

The red white and blue sweet treats naturally look great displayed together! I used a few of our favorites, but any red white and blue edible items would work.

I elevated a few of the containers on a cake plate and set the others around the bottom. Super simple and so festive! I love the pop of patriotic colors off of our new subway tile backsplash :)

Happy decorating!

Diana

Get Ready to Go Glamping

2015-06-11T13:11:00.000-07:00

We are getting ready for an upcoming Glamping trip and I am so excited! I found several new gadgets that I'm going to love having on this trip making it even more glamorous and fantastic than the last time... You can see our prior Glamping trip via the link below:

DIY Glamping Trip with Photos

Our upcoming trip will include a new color scheme, some "Must Have" Glamping gadgets and several new decor items. Also another family is joining us for the trip so we will have an additionally decorated tent and more fun decor for the whole family.

I have a slightly larger vehicle this time, so I'm hoping to fit everything in and still be able to fit my hubby in the car!!!

Would you like to go Glamping?

Diana

Spring Cleaning and Getting Organized

2015-03-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

Every Spring I get motivated to do a bit of extra Spring cleaning and do some kind of organizing project. It seems there is always something that needs to be organized! Since we recently condensed from two houses to one, I have a much larger than normal amount of things that I need to find places for. My living room is currently looking like a hoarders paradise (which I'm not proud of) but it's my current reality!... I'm definitely in need of having a huge garage sale!

I've got so much stuff right now that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'm not sure yet what my next organizing project will be, but in the meantime I wanted to share one of my favorite organization projects with you. It's my garage organizer. I love how it keeps that part of the house neat and orderly!

Most garage organization systems are pretty expensive so I came up with the idea to build our own. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves, but I will note a few comments explaining how with built it along the way.

We started our DIY wall organizer by marking all of the studs in the wall and mounting a frame to them.

Once the frame was built, my husband painted it and then mounted the wire shelves. I wanted the wire shelving so dust would build up on the shelves.

We added a section of peg board for miscellaneous small items.

A few smaller shelves and hooks hold gardening supplies and other items.

My favorite part of our organizer is these next shelves that we made from vinyl rain gutters. They are perfect for holding cans of spray paint, tubes of caulking and other small items. Love them!!!

Hanging our ladders and other items at the front of the garage freed up so much floor space!

We have allot of wood trim and molding that needs to be stored flat. It used to be on the floor (always in the way), now it is up out of the way on the shelves.

We now park both of our cars in the garage and get out of our vehicles without stumbling and tripping on things. It is wonderful! I love being organized!!! Now I just need to do the rest of the house :)

Until next time,

Diana

No Sew Bunting Flag for Valentine's Day

2015-02-09T16:18:00.002-08:00

A few years ago I made this simple no sew bunting flag for Valentine's Day and it's so easy that I thought I would share it with you again.

Have you ever made bunting flags? I think that they are so adorable, but being that I'm not much of a sewer (like not at all), I had never given it a try. Then one day I got this idea to make it a super EASY craft that anyone (even the kids0 can do!

The idea for this project started when I found this vintage book of old sheet music at an Antique/Collectible store in town for a few dollars. The book isn't an antique, but is vintage and was in excellent condition. I went to Joann's Craft Superstore and found a box of foam hearts that included glitter lettering (the foam cut hearts were on sale of course, I always love me a good sale!). I already had ribbon in my personal craft stock here at home. The only other items I needed besides what is in this next picture was clear tape and glue.

I started by tearing out nine pages from the music book. I had decided to use an odd number of pages so I would have one hanging directly in the center. I planned to put a note on the center flag so I needed one in the center (I hope that made sense)...

After tearing out the pages, I cut a straight edge down the side that was torn. Then I cut and trimmed all of the excess edging around the music. I made one page as a template for size and then I cut the remaining pages to the same size.

Next I softly folded a few pages at once (without creasing), then I proceeded to cut the bottom off (as shown below)...

I did the same to all of the pages using my first cut piece as a template guide for the remainder of them.

Next, I laid the pages across my floor and placed hearts across them, with dark pink and light pink alternating. I decided I wanted something a little more decorative than just the alternating colors, so I proceeded to cut out smaller hearts from additional white and light pink hearts. I folded the foam in half and cut my smaller hearts from the larger ones. After laying out my pattern, I decided I would lay out my text for the white center heart.

I decided to put the words "Be Mine" on the center heart using the glitter letters that came with the package of hearts.

Next I looked at my two different shades of pink ribbon before deciding to use the dark pink. I like the contrast between the darker pink and the white paper. At this point nothing was glued yet. Everything is just sitting in place so I could see if I liked the look... (which I did!).

I used clear packaging tape fasten the ribbon to the back of each page. (Note: music was printed on both sides of each page, which is why you see me taping to music). I left the ribbon slightly below the top of the page so the tape had paper to adhere to, both above and below the ribbon. I put about 1 1/2 inches of spacing between each of the flags.

After fastening all of the pages, I turned over the entire project so I was now looking at the front.

I used my multipurpose craft glue and smeared a bit on the back of each heart and then just eyeballed what looked like the center and fastened each one. It is a home made craft project so it doesn't have to be perfect... It is made with love and is supposed to look a little home made :)

So here is it, my finished project. I hope it inspires you to get creative!

Until next time...
Happy decorating!

Diana

Life Unexpected... Explained

2015-01-28T19:34:00.000-08:00

Here we are weeks into 2015 and I am posting my first blog post of the year. A few have wondered where I have been. For the past 7 months our lives have been spent between two homes, two locations. Suitcases packed and unpacked every week/weekend traveling back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. It felt like a merry go round! My husband had unexpectedly taken a job contract that required us to be away from home each and every week and some weekends for seven months.

Living between two places, coming home to our true home only occasionally on weekends. It felt like we were always coming or going! I never felt settled. My husband was so busy working... long hours for days on end, I can only imagine what it felt like for him.

Although a few projects around our house did get completed during this time, I had little to no time for blogging. I didn't want to or know how to share that we were away from home because I've heard that you shouldn't make it public information that nobody is living in your house. Potential for break ins and theft, etc... So I just wasn't sure what or how to explain our situation, so I didn't.

The good news is we are officially back at home. We can now get back to life as I used to know it (haha)... I don't quite feel settled as of yet, but I am getting there.

One thing I learned is that I don't need as much "STUFF" as I have. Living in the other location with much less was easy. In fact taking care of a smaller place was so much easier than 3200 square feet!

I have decided I want to get rid of some of the "stuff" and "treasures" that I realize I don't need and live a little more simply. In the coming weeks I will be letting go of a few things around here... Some will be donated, a few larger items I might sell on Craigslist, and I might decide to have a big yard sale. Our house is so full that I think I can do with a few less pieces to dust :)

Although I shared very little over the holidays this past season, I'm looking forward to this new year. I'll be sharing my tips on simplifying, organizing and also some new crafts and projects.

I hope you are all doing well!

Blessings,

Diana

Adorable Interactive Christmas Table for the Kids

2014-12-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I decided I wanted to do something fun for the kids at their Christmas Table. I had some vinyl chalkboard contact paper and a large thin piece of fiberboard (smooth finish). I first covered the kids table with brown butcher wrapping paper, Then I covered the thin fiber board with the self adhesive chalkboard paper. I put a cute few snowflake ornaments and a little sled in the center with a container of chalk on top. I added a few snowman napkins for drawing inspiration... and there you have it. A fun interactive place for the kiddos or the adults to get creative if they want. Even if nobody decides to draw on it, I love how it turned out!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

Until next time,

Diana

Post Card Christmas Tree Craft

2014-12-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

We are currently living back and forth between two different homes. I have done some Christmas decorating at each place.. but with so much traveling and packing to go back and forth I've been horrible at photographing and sharing this years decorations.

Today I am re-sharing one of my vintage posts of these DIY Christmas Trees made from Antique Postcards... I put these up each year since I've made them.

My mother used to collect vintage and antique postcards. She gave me a box full of them about five years ago. Most of the dates on them are from the early 1900's. I always figured I would use them on some craft project eventually, I just didn't know what or when. This week I decided to finally craft with them. I came up with the idea for these adorable antique postcard Christmas trees. After a little trial and error, I figured out how to make them and they were actually quite simple to do! The best part is that they didn't cost me a cent... I used items I already had around the house :)

I started by creating cones with some scrap-booking paper and packaging tape. I used two pieces of 12" x 12" paper and put them into a cone shape and then taped the edges. I wanted the cones to be taller than a single piece of paper would make, so I shaped the first piece and taped it, and then put the second piece inside and shaped it to the first giving it extra height. Then I added a cut piece to the open area that remained. I cut the bottom level and then I made a second cone that was slightly shorter.

My cones aren't very pretty, in fact not at all, but they are just for the base so it didn't much matter what they looked like. I ended up taping the entire exterior of each cone to give them extra strength.

I cut each of the old postcards into strips and then curled them around a pen to give them a curved look. As I cut the cards I tried to keep stamps and postal markings in tact so they could be read when looking at the trees.

After they were curled I started from the bottom up, one row at a time... I used packaging tape to tape each piece to the cone.

Below is the first tree as I finished it. Notice how you can see the stamps and postal marks. There are dates from as early as 1905 to about 1915 on this tree. All of the stamps were one cent back then.

The second tree I decided to give a different look. I folded each of the cut strips in half and stapled them. This gave them some thickness. Again I made sure to show the stamps and postal markings. Row by row I attached them with the packaging tape. I used packaging tape because it is much stronger and stickier than Scotch tape! This second tree was the easiest to make. It didn't need near as many rows to I made it in about 15 minutes.

In the next picture you can read some of the writing on the cards, and see the stamps up close and postal dates.

The stars on top I cut out of postcards too. I cut two sides for each and I glued them to the top of each tree.

I love how they both turned out. I am not sure where I am going to display them in the house yet. I'm thinking maybe the coffee table is best. There is so much history on the 100 year old post cards that they make for a great conversation piece!

Until next time,

Happy Decorating!

Diana

Holiday Photo Wall - The Perfect Collage

2014-12-04T12:58:00.001-08:00

How gorgeous is this Winter inspired Holiday photo wall. I love the contrast of the dark grey chalkboard like wall with the black and white photos and the pops of red! I wish I could take credit for it, but I found this beauty during a visit to Pottery Barn. It's so inspiring that I couldn't help but snap a few photos to share.

Happy holidays and happy decorating!

Blessings,

Diana

Come visit "The Vintage Marketplace" Starts Friday Dec. 5th

2014-12-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

The Vintage Marketplace at the Oaks in Rainbow (Fallbrook, California) is being held this coming weekend... It will be from Friday, December 5th though Sunday, December 7th. See the flyer below for the address and full details.

There will be 60+ vendors selling vintage home and garden finds, re-purposed items, jewelry, art, clothing and more... I'm looking forward to seeing lots of pretties and getting some Christmas shopping done. Hope to see you there!

The Vintage Marketplace on Pinterest

The Vintage Marketplace on Facebook

Happy Thanksgiving

2014-11-27T23:10:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Our Thanksgiving table centerpiece was inspired by some stunning Fall leaves that my daughter found this morning as she and my husband were on a hike.

Found items from nature make for perfect inspiration!

Blessings,

Diana

Cranberry Pear Recipe - Great for Holiday Entertaining

2014-11-14T16:33:00.001-08:00

Our family has always loved cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving. We used to just open a can, slice it and that was it. However, one year my mom made cranberry pears and we all loved it so much that now it makes a regular appearance each Thanksgiving!

There are two ways to make cranberry pears and I will share both of them with you. One version takes about 5 minutes of preparation (this is the way I used to make them) and the other (healthier version) takes 15 or 20 minutes to prep (depending on how fast you can peel pears). Either way, most of the work is done by a slow cooker (Crock-Pot).

Last year I started eating Paleo which in short meant no more processed or refined food of any kind. So for us I make a healthy, free of refined sugars (but still sweet) version of cranberry pears.

Note: canned cranberry sauces main ingredient (depending on brand) is sugar or high fructose corn syrup. So, using canned berries is not an option for our family... Fresh cranberries is what I choose to use.

The recipe I make is simple using only three ingredients: Fresh cranberries, 100% pure maple syrup (from a tree, I like Grade B), and pears (I used fresh organic).

Directions: (Healthy version)

Turn the crock pot on Low then add the following:

12 ounces of fresh cranberries

1/2 cup of pure maple syrup

4 ripe pears (peeled, cored and cut into slices)

Stir and let simmer on low for three to four hours (sample taste at about two hours to see if more sweetener. Keep in mind that fresh cranberries can be quite tart depending on their ripeness, so you can add extra maple syrup if needed.

As the cranberries cook they will soften and split open spreading their flavor throughout the pears. Depending on how many people you are feeding you can adjust the recipe size. We like to serve them warm but they can also be made in advance and served chilled. They taste excellent either way. You can substitute the maple syrup with agave, honey and/or a combination of the three. Whichever sweetener you prefer will work.

Now for the super simple five minute version (3 minutes if you are fast with a can opener)...

Directions: (quick and easy)

Turn crock pot on low:

Open a can or two of pear halves (or slices), quickly drain them and pour them into crock pot,

Open a can of whole berry cranberry and pour/spoon it into crock pot...

Simmer on low for three hours.

Yep, that's it. Serve warm or chilled.

It doesn't get any easier than that folks! We made it the simple way for years... The pears absorb the cranberry flavor and taste amazing :)

Whichever way you choose, cranberry pears will be a hit with your family!

Blessings to you and yours,

Diana

More Crock Pot Thanksgiving Ideas

Holiday Entertaining Made Simple - Crock Pot Thanksgiving

2014-11-10T15:50:00.002-08:00

Last Thanksgiving I decided I wanted to make the our Thanksgiving dinner simple. I wanted to actually enjoy the holiday visiting with our family and friends rather than working in the kitchen the entire time.

I got this awesome Crock-Pot Hook Up System. I absolutely love this thing! Each unit can be purchased separately and you can plug in as many as six units into just one outlet. The units push together side by side and connect each other. They come in different sizes, different colors and with different temperatures they make for super easy entertaining!

I got the double one quart unit (shown on the left), 2 of the two quart units (center) and one three quart unit (on the right). I use them often. You only have to turn on the units that you want to use (as each one has it's own on/off knob and adjustable heat settings). You can cook your entire meal right in these crocks and then turn them to the warm setting until you are ready to serve. Each unit came with it's own serving spoon and a spoon slot in the crock (so your lids sit on them tightly) while the spoon is in them.

I originally had one huge crock pot,that I found too heavy so I rarely used it because I didn't like cleaning the heavy beast. These unit being smaller are much lighter and easier to clean. Another great feature is that the units stack for easy storage. I'm surprised how many meals I've been able to make in them. Since buying these I've turned into a crock pot chef.

Last year I made a completely Paleo Thanksgiving in these Crocks.

I have made both seasoned turkey breasts and a full size chicken in the large crock. I'd never even tried sweet potatoes prior to getting these Crock-Pots and now I make sweet potato mash often! I also made Cranberry Pears in a crock (Recipe Here)

For a healthy dessert I cut apple slices with my Apple Corer Peeler Slicer (that also Peels potatoes) and put them into a crock pot with cinnamon, honey and chopped pecans.

After a few hours the apples were tender, flavorful and oh so yummy! I've had my apple slicer for about 14 years and still use it all the time. They have made improvements on it (like adding a suction cup), but it is still the same amazing tool. It works great for peeling potatoes and for when I make homemade apple pie.

This year Thanksgiving will be a little more traditional. Everyone wants real mash potatoes and stuffing, but again I will be making several items for our dinner in this great Hook up System.

These little units are also great at Holiday parties for keeping h'orderves and appetizers warm. They'd make a great Christmas gift.

Time for some entertaining.

Blessings,

Diana

Simple DIY Candy Sweets and Treats for Halloween and Fall

2014-10-29T18:10:00.003-07:00

Here is a fun easy treat to make without having to turn on the oven... I love using candy melts for dipping treats, it is so simple anyone can do it!

To make these we went to our local craft store and bought different color candy melts, sugar eyeballs, candy sprinkles, cellophane treat bags, food coloring markers and lollipop sticks. From the grocery store we got pretzels, Rice Krispies cereal, marshmallows and butter.

We used just a few items for dipping.. Pretzels, marshmallows and Rice Krispy treats (that we made, per box directions). However you can dip almost anything you like.

If you haven't used candy melts before, they are super easy to use. They come with simple melting and thinning instructions on the back of the package. I put the melts in oven safe dishes, then use the microwave method to melt them.

I go an extra step and I sit them in an electric skillet (on simmer), with 1" of water at the bottom of the skillet (to keep them melted no matter how long we are working with them. The water in the bottom keeps them from potentially burning at the bottom of the cups).

Making the rice krispy treats was so simple. It only took about 5 minutes. We decided this is by far the fastest and easiest treat ever to make! With only three ingredients, Rice Krispies, butter and marshmallows, it was a cinch!

We used an edible food coloring marker to draw on our cute little Frankensteins and ghosts.

We dipped marshmallows to look like candy corn. We first dipped the entire marshmallow in white. Then put it in the refrigerator to harden the coating quickly, then came back and dipped the orange (harden), then the yellow at the bottom.

We put the candies onto wax paper while they hardened. The wax paper removes easily from them.

We cut the rice krispy treats into triangles and then shaped them into the different things we wanted to make. They are soft and pliable so it was easy to do.

Candied pretzels are super easy! You just dip them in the cup of melted candy or chocolate or use a spoon to drizzle the candy onto them.

Sprinkles are applied while the candy coating is wet (it holds them on like glue).

This little Frankenstein is my favorite of all the treats we made. My daughter actually made him and I think he is so cute!

After we were done making all of our candy treats and they had hardened, we put them into cellophane treat bags and tied a ribbon around each. We had gotten a cake box to put them all in for my daughter to take them to work.

I hope these super easy sweets and treats inspire you to make a few treats of your own.

Until next time...
Blessings,

Diana

10 Days Without Internet... How Does One Survive?

2014-10-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hi all... For over 10 days I have not had internet or a computer... Yikes. I did have my cell phone but the area where we were only had occasional 3G reception (with one bar)... which when trying to use a smart phone was kinda like using dial up and then having it repeatedly FAIL... Uhg. How did we ever use slow dial up and wait 3 or 4 minutes for one page to load?

I found myself starting to go stir crazy. We don't realize how attached we are to our computers and social media until we don't have it for awhile. Then when you take away the use of our phone, I personally felt a bit lost. I guess that is a sad statement, but it's true.

As of today we are back among the living :) We finally have actual internet access... It's hard to think back to when we lived without it!

I hope you are doing well!

Blessings,

Diana

Update - What's Been Going On

2014-09-18T15:15:00.001-07:00

It has been over 100 degrees here for the past week plus. I can't even begin to think Fall decorating yet... It is still fully Summer here!

The last two weeks have been crazy busy.. Along with the crazy California heatwave my dad had to have a triple bypass (open heart surgery). Two weeks ago he went in for an Angiogram to see how things looked and they found a few major blockages. He was admitted immediately (Friday) and then doctors operated on him first thing Monday morning. I am happy to say surgery was a complete success and he is home now and healing very well. It's amazing that they have the ability to do such a major surgery and send you home just a few days later!

With family things in the forefront decorating has been on the back-burner, Eventually I will get some decorating done here and I will be sharing it with you as soon as I do. I hope you all are doing well.

Blessings,
Diana

Wow... School Has Started Time to Start Thinking FALL

2014-09-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

The weather is still in the mid 90's where I live in Southern California and it's hard to believe that FALL is just around the corner.

As I was browsing through a few of my favorite stores this past weekend, seeing Fall decor everywhere, I realized that this past year seems to have completely flown by!!!

So as I'm finishing up a few projects around the house I'm also starting to think about what I will do to decorate for this Fall season.

Here are a few links to prior Fall posts of mine:

Fun Fall Candles

Fall Mantle Decor

Pumpkin Painting Ideas

Fall Kitchen Decorating Ideas

Finally A New Computer - Why I love my HP Envy

2014-08-23T00:07:00.002-07:00

I'm sorry I was away for a bit. After my computer took a dump I was told it would take two to three weeks for repair. I finally bit the bullet and decided to purchase a new laptop. Sadly, my old one was just about 15 months old and of course it was out of warranty (Ugh!).

Once I decided to get a new computer, then came the debate of whether to buy an Apple MacBook or a Windows based laptop. I do have an iPhone and an iPad, but when it comes to my actual computer Windows is all I've ever known. Macs are so cool and I've always wanted one... but they are also much more expensive and I have no idea how to actually operate one (hehe). So in the end, I ended up with another Windows based computer. I haven't had an HP laptop in over 10 years, but I fell in love with the HP Envy! It has a 360 degree flexible screen hinge which allows me either use it like a traditional laptop or fold it completely flat (like a huge tablet)... It still has a full size keyboard and it is also a touchscreen which makes it super convenient!!!

This photo shows my new laptop in all of the different positions it can be used in. I am loving it so far and am so glad I made the decision to go with the HP Envy! Now I can get back to blogging and soon I will share the projects that I've been up to around here.

Until next time,

Blessings!

Diana

DIY Blogger Challenges - My Laptop Died

2014-08-11T15:43:00.003-07:00

When it comes to computers I basically have two. A 15 month old a Windows based laptop and an iPad mini. My 15 month old ASUS laptop has decided to completely die on me! It has no power (zero). When I plug it in it won't charge at all. Of course this is the first time that I didn't buy the extended warranty (go figure)... Why is it that when you buy the extra warranty you never need it, but when you don't have the extended warranty things break??? And they usually break shortly after the manufacturers warranty expires. Ugh!!!

I've always figured that if I ever had a problem with my laptop I could just blog from my iPad. So here I am typing very very slowly from my mini... The sad thing is I've discovered that I'm clueless at how to attach any pictures via my iPad! I didn't think I was technologically challenged, but apparently I am ;)

So although I have three projects to share with you, it may be several days before you will see any actual pictures. I'm not sure if it's worth paying to have the laptop repaired or if I will just have to get another. Tomorrow I will visit Geek Squad and see what my options are.

In the meantime,

Happy Decorating and God Bless!

Diana

Summertime Drinks in Mason Jars

2014-07-29T14:59:00.001-07:00

I absolutely love using Mason Jars in the summertime for serving cold drinks! Simply adding a cute Paper Straw and some fruit makes them so inviting.

I Have Decorating ADD - "Decorating Attention Deficit Disorder"

2014-07-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

I recently realized that I have "Decorating ADD" (Decorating Attention Deficit Disorder). I have several projects in progress all at one time. They are each at the 75% to 85% completion stage. I haven't shared many of them since they aren't completely done.

I'm wondering as DIY blog followers do you prefer to see projects little by little as they progress (seeing both the successes and the occasional pitfalls/failures)? Or would you rather see posts that only show the project through to their Grand Reveal?

Some projects take a long time while waiting to find the last few decorative pieces to complete the space. During this time I tend to move on to a new project (or two or three). Other times I'll be visiting a thrift store, yard sale or flea market and I'll find an amazing piece that inspires an entirely new project. When this happens I'm guilty of leaving a prior (not quite finished) project in the dust. I find that having a creative brain it needs be creating at all times. The creating process never really stops.

There have been times that I've thought I'd love to live in a model perfect home that wasn't like a constant canvas or art piece that is being created... However, I think I'd get bored if I wasn't creating something new at all times. I imagine it's like that for all creative types. At least I hope I'm not the only one with Decorating ADD!

So I ask you this question... Do you want to see my projects as they happen through their entire process (including my decorating ADD), or would you rather see just the post that shows everything with the Final Reveal?

Please comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Blessings,

Diana

Garage Door Gets A Facelift

2014-07-18T14:00:00.001-07:00

We just gave our garage door a much needed makeover/facelift. It's actually just a new fresh coat of paint and a warmer color. We used Behr Marquee exterior paint from Home Depot. The color I had mixed to match to a color called Sable from Sherwin Williams. This first photo shows you the newly painted door.

Our garage door had become very faded and chalky from direct sun light beating on it. The old color was a boring drab dark brown which did nothing to help our homes curb appeal. You can see how drastic the before and after change is in this next photo.

This Behr Marquee paint is a primer and paint all in one.. It's supposed to be Fade Resistant. So hopefully the garage door will look beautiful for several years to come.

It's amazing how much improvement can be made with just a can of paint and a little work. I love the finished result!

The fresh paint on the garage door made me realize that the shutters on our house are pretty faded too. I'm thinking it might be time to freshen them up also. Although I'm a little leery of having my hubby climb on the roof to paint them, I'm pretty sure he will be up for it.

Time for me to find a shutter color. They're currently dark green, but maybe a color with a bit of teal in it will look good.

What do you think?

Diana