Decking the Halls with Between You And Me Signs

The holiday season is in full swing and I can feel that buzz of energy starting to fill the house. Its only a tiny humming right now but in the next couple weeks it will turn in to full blown jingle bells!!

I can't help but deck the halls because well, its my most favorite part of the holidays. 

That and watching the excitement grow in my little ones as the days become fewer and fewer until the big man arrives!

This year I want to keep things simple. I want the house to have the warmth of the holidays but not lose itself in all of those decorations! Thats why we have decided to scale back on the three trees we usually put up and the word "simplify" is what I keep repeating in my head. I want the girls to grow up in a home where we celebrate the season by being together as a family, welcoming in friends, eating, drinking and being truly grateful for the gifts we receive every single day. It is so easy to get caught up in it all....the wants are poison for the soul and this time of year can be especially challenging.

That is why when I saw this sign from Between You and Me I knew it was perfect for our home. 

Love grows best in little houses. Oh this is so true for us. I speak from real experience here. If you are new here and you don't know my story, well then you should know that this is our seventh home. We have had our fair share of houses and all different. Some were much bigger then our home is now and some were smaller. But our happiness has never changed with the size of our home. I want my kids to always be close to me. I want to hear their laughter from the other room and yes, I even want to hear the arguing...it helps me, help them, solve the issue a little faster...not always but most of the time. I like living in a home where I don't need a monitor to hear if my baby needs me. Now, please believe me when I say that I by no means think my house is tiny! We are quite blessed with our home but again its no mcmansion either...its just simply perfect for us.

Its the perfect message for our family and exactly how I want us to be...so close we can't help but talk to each other. So close we don't miss a thing. My babies are growing faster than I would really like to believe so keeping them close to me is more important to me than anything else!

If you haven't heard of Between You and Me Signs, first I can't even believe that, but you must visit their shop. They are making some truly beautiful pieces! I have a running wish list in their shop and I'm hoping that one day I have a house full of their amazing work!

Another piece of their work is hanging in our family room. It is a custom piece and the lyrics to one of my favorite Mumford and Sons song Below My Feet.
It's one of those songs that you listen to and it moves you. It speaks about what so much of us experience during our early years. Being young, not worrying about the future, not needing anything but yourself to rely on and then one day you wake up and you can't handle it all by yourself, you never could. You realize that you need more, you need Jesus. This song speaks to me because I too needed my savior. I needed to know that God really loved me! What I didn't know was that he had been with me all along, I just needed to come to him. When I did, I was greeted with open arms and he wrapped them around me and has never let go. It always makes me a little teary eyed when I hear it because I'm so thankful to know Gods grace. Now I have those lyrics hanging on my wall to remind me of this everyday.

I'm so happy to have found their shop! I have these two amazing signs in my home, both of them bringing so much joy and reminding us of the things that we hold dear as a family. 

I'm getting ready to order another sign for a friends house warming gift and now is a perfect time for you to do some shopping of your own because Between You and Me Signs is offering all my readers a 15% off discount today through December 31st!

Just use promo code HOUSESEVEN15 

Enjoy!

 XOXO

Garland Table Setting

We kicked off the holiday season this year with a house full for Thanksgiving and it was simply awesome!  We had family from near and far with old friends and new ones all gathered around our table. We spent the day as a family lounging around, first watching the parade, cooking and finally welcoming in our guests as they arrived. What a better way to celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving and help us kick off the holiday season. It was a pretty perfect day!
Anytime I know we are going to have a house full of guests, the wheels in my head start turning and all I could think was what kind of table setting we would have for our guests.
I knew I was going to have a giant table to set and I wanted to keep everything simple yet festive!
So I went with a 13 foot garland made from fresh eucalyptus, sage and evergreen.
Oh it spelled so good!!

Our place setting was a mix of old and new. White linen napkins, antique plates, new white porcelain plates and of course our little feather bunches. I also added a little rolled up piece of craft paper for our guests to write what they were all thankful for this year. This is a little tradition we do in our home where we all write down what we are thankful for, drop it in a pitcher and then during dessert we pass the pitcher around the table and each person takes one out and reads it. Its so fun!!

I really was so happy with how the painted flatware turned out! I also
have to update you and let you know that purely by mistake it all went through the dishwasher! OOPS! But guess what...it totally survived! No chipping or scratching! So if you are considering this as your next project, I recommend it as a good one!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family and now we are on to Christmas to do it all over again! Whew this is a busy time of year....it must be, even this little post is a tad late:(

Here is to an amazing holiday season and I can't wait to share a few updates to our home in the days to come....

oh and you're getting a sneak peek right now!!!

A Thanksgiving table setting

Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite times of the year! It might have something to do with the fact that my sister visits from Florida this time every year but thats not all! I love having a large group of us gathered around the table for a meal. I want my girls to grow up with tradition and know the importance of being thankful for this blessed life we have been given. Not just at the holidays but all year long. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to revaluate what is truly important.

This year we are hosting one of our largest feasts yet! 

I couldn't be more excited!! And if you know me at all...you will know that I believe 

 every special occasion needs a beautiful table setting!

I've been loving all these gold dipped white feathers on Pinterest for awhile now and I knew I wanted to incorporate them in to the setting.

 I also knew I wanted to use gold or copper flatware but of course its a little pricey! Why does everything I love cost so much!! Ugh! 

Even at $20 a setting for the Target Threshold setting, which I love, it would be a pretty penny when I needed 12 settings! Aack!

I may have to start buying a few sets a week because I do love them!

What to do? I guess I could spray paint some?!

Well, I have been thinking about doing this little project for awhile and I guess there is no better time then now....right?!?!

So off the the craft store for supplies...

I recruited the girls for some help and we tackled the feather project first.

Then I headed to my local thrift store and bought as many matching sets of flatware I could find

$6 later and this is my loot...

12 settings!

I also picked up some spray paint and sealer.

Now it was time to see what happens!

I taped them so just the handles would be sprayed...don't want my guests ingesting paint...that wouldn't make for a good holiday meal!!

First, I sprayed them with the paint front and back, letting them dry in between. Then I sealed them the same way. I did this over the course of a few days so that they had plenty of dry time. 

The end result! I love how it all turned out and I am super excited to show you the entire room all finished and ready for Thanksgiving! 

If you follow me on Instagram you have seen a little of what has been happening around here!

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season as much as I have been!

See you soon!

Snoozing People Pillowcase in the Shop!

The Two Little Bugs  shop is open for business! 

(for a little while anyway)

Just a few weeks ago I made this appliquéd pillowcase for Emma's bedroom and I've had special requests for them ever since!

So I thought it would be fun to bring back Two Little Bugs Clothing Co. for a short time and offer these pillowcases in my shop!

 Little Snoozing Fella

Little Snoozing Lady

They will be available from now until Christmas!!

Check out my Instagram for a chance to win one of your choice!!

www.twolittlebugs.bigcartel.com

Our Grey Walls

Hello!

This is just a short little post for everyone of you that has asked me to share the color of grey paint on my walls. 

We have two colors on the walls in our house and they are white and grey and that's it!

Again, too much color and I get anxious!

The funny thing is that this color was a mistake. I'm the obnoxious lady that asks the poor people at Home Depot to re-tint the paint in the mis-tint area and this is how it came out! 

So today I'm sharing the formula with you! I hope you love it on your walls as much as we have on ours!

 

A Sputnik Chandelier for my kitchen

My Sputnik has arrived and 

I could not be more excited to share this new light with all of you! 

Say hello to my Mid Century Round Sputnik Chandelier!

(go ahead and ooh and ahhh, I did)

I have been crushing on these beauties for some time now and one day while searching them online I came across this amazing lighting company called

Lucent Light Shop!

Sarah is the owner and not only is she super nice but she is a dream to work with! We talked about what I envisioned for my space and she was full of suggestions to help me decide on the perfect sputnik for my kitchen.

Once my decision was made, her shop went straight to work and just this past week this amazing fixture arrived on my doorstep.

I love it so much, I seriously cant stop staring at it! 

I love the design element it brings to the space and I'm so happy that she suggested the raw brass because it is beautiful. 

I have big plans for my kitchen and this light is going to work so perfectly when it all comes together. 

Lucent Light Shop even has their own blog! 

Its full of awesome advice on the best light bulbs to use and great inspiration photos of vintage lighting. 

When deciding on the light, the only worry I did have was where to hang it exactly. 

My own personal feeling is that with this type of lighting the typical 28-32 inch from the table rule of thumb doesn't necessarily apply. Besides, rules are made to be broken and I had to go with my gut on what was going to be right for me in this case. I researched as many pictures as I could of Sputnik chandeliers and finally decided that this would be the right height for my table. 

Sarah made sure that it was wired with plenty of extra wiring so that we had enough wiggle room to add length if we needed too...she seriously thought of everything!

Even installing it was a piece of cake! 

Brian had it wired and hung (with my help, of course) in about twenty minutes. 

Who doesn't like that! 

I am forever hooked on Lucent Light Shop and the amazing pieces they are creating there! 

This is definitely the place to go if you are considering vintage lighting for your home. 

While we are talking about it you must check out these other favorites of mine that are currently in the shop.....

Oh hello gorgeous....how about you come live with me?!?

Not only are all the pieces amazing but right now Lucent Light Shop is offering all 

House Seven readers 10% off orders, today through November 30th!!!

Just use the coupon code Houseseven10 at checkout! 

Now you have no excuse not to grab one for yourself! 

Happy Shopping! 

A Blabla First Birthday

 Our sweet girl turned one on October 29th!

Wow, how this year has flown by!

I never in my life expected it to go by so quickly and it makes me a little sad to see this year end and a new one begin but yet I'm filled with excitement for what is to come! 

Everly is crazy about her Blabla dolls! I think that Blabla was one of her first words and so it was only fitting that all her Blabla dolls would celebrate this special day along with her. 

The decorating is my most favorite part of any party planning and so I filled the room with lots of tassel garland, ruffled fabric streamers and of course Blabla dolls everywhere!

A party isn't complete without sweet treats to eat and we had them all! 

Cupcakes, cookies, cake pops and the most amazing smash cake you ever did see!! Check out these gold glittered cake pops made by our sweet Claire! I call her my first daughter because I was her nanny for years before I had my children. She will forever be their big sister and my first kid!

Im not the best at baking and so I am super thankful to have such amazingly talented friends who are! My lovely friend Nakia from A Handcrafted Affair Blog made Everlys cake and cupcakes and all I can say is.. 

WOW!!!

She really blew me away with how beautiful it all was and look at this flower topper that she handmade. Simply beautiful!

I knew I wanted a vintage highchair for the party and I was lucky enough to score the perfect one on Craigslist for $25! 

I moved her teepee out to the foyer so that giant Fleur bunny could greet all our party guests as they arrived!

All the garland tassel was made by my sweet friend Holli along with the pink and gold pumpkins and Im absolutely in love with this gold glitter banner made by my friend Heidi! 

This party was truly a labor of love by all. 

Everly wasn't too sure about eating all this cake right away but she eventually got right to it!

Birthday cake is the best!!

Although it looks like tears, this is actually pure excitement and joy!!

It was a wonderful party full of friends and sweet memories! I am so grateful to all my friends that helped me bring it all together and those that were able to celebrate this special day with us! 

We are truly blessed in our life!

Happy 1st Birthday my sweet babe! 

I can't wait to see what the next year holds for you! 

XO-Mommy

Googily Eyed Ghosts!

We have been busy getting ready for Halloween around here and wanted to share a little picture tutorial with all of you!

Its our googily eyed ghost!

Here is everything you need to make your own:

Scissors

glue gun with glue stick

white thread

stuffing

two googily eyes (very important)

white fabric (we used a piece that was around 15x17)

white tulle ( we used a piece that was around 17x19)

sewing needle

Isn't he bootiful:)
Hope you enjoy making a little ghost of your own!