Snow Day Craftivity - River Rock Boot Tray

Just when you think that winter may be over, it's not! Something I love about the Midwest is our four distinct seasons. I truly believe that if I were to move outside of the Midwest to a place that does not experience the four seasons, I would miss it! I find it ironic, as I wrote that last sentence, that I have always lived in the Midwest, despite calling three states home. I suppose that the Midwest is best! 

A luxury, to some (ME!), that comes with having four distinct seasons is the intensity of each season. I was beyond thankful to find out that I had a snow day this past Monday! It didn't snow in excessive amounts like it did in February, but, it was cold enough to send the wind chills into the negative twenties. Brrrrr. Considering the fact that I truly took advantage of the snow days, I attempted to be more productive on my last one. 

Below is one of the things that I was able to accomplish! Somewhere within my thousands of pins on Pinterest, I happened to pin this super easy and cute craftivity. All it consists of is "river rocks" and a boot tray. Uber easy & cute. I was worried about finding a boot tray since it was almost spring, but Target didn't let me down!

I bought this Mohawk boot tray at my local Target. I felt lucky enough to snag one of the last ones, as I wasn't sure if they would restock for the upcoming season! Next, I went to Dollar Tree and bought 11 bags of their river rock. Other tutorials suggested you could do less, but I wanted to have more than enough than not enough. I poured all of the bags into the tray and distributed evenly. That's it! 

In all, this cost me roughly $16. It is more eye appealing and an easy way to store my boots and shoes. Even though winter is (trying) to wrap up, I still think this will be a valuable accessory come Spring with the rain! Best thing is, if it gets dirty, all you have to do is rinse out the tray and rocks. Easy enough!

You can find more examples of what other people did at these sites, too:

• Apartment Therapy
• Dollar Store Crafts 
• Martha Stewart 

Have you done any home crafts lately? If so, I'd love to hear about it! And, if not, what is catching your eyes with crafts lately?

-E-

Happy Holidays at Home

As corny as it sounds, I had wished for a white Christmas with this being the first Christmas in our home and it looks like my wish has come true! It snowed a few days ago, but temperatures have been cold enough to keep it around for a while! Lovely!

Now that the major crunch time is finished for me, I will hopefully be updating more frequently! I am planning on updating in the upcoming days, if not tomorrow! As I looked through the blog, I was disappointed on my part that I hadn't updated it with some of the most exciting updates! From our guest bedroom to our kitchen to dining room to the upstairs bedroom... lots has been done! I can't wait to update you all with these things!

In the meantime, happy holidays to each of you and your loved ones! However you choose to spend the next few days, I hope you do things that fill you with happiness! I'm certainly looking forward to a quiet and peaceful day in our home especially since it's the first one in our home!

-E

P.S. - As I was admiring my friend, Michelle's blog this evening, I noticed that she added this blog to her faves for home interiors. She's too sweet. She's an outstanding blogger, fashionista, illustrator and friend. If you haven't already checked out Creature Type, do so this holiday season!

Summer Project Wish List: Mid July Update

As summer quickly approaches the final weeks, it seems as my summer wish list will not get done as much as I had hoped. Z & I did do a lot, but selfishly, I wanted more to be completed. I was a bit frustrated by it, but truthfully - what is the rush? We will be in our house for years. 

So, what if it isn't all done until a weekend when I limit myself bringing home papers to grade? So, what if it waits until Fall Break, or Winter Break?! 

I am learning to be okay with it not all being done. I much rather take my time and get things done slowly. And, exactly how we want them. 

With this being said, this is what I did with the first full week of not having summer school. (Ah... Yes... That thing took up quite a bit of time, too. Surprisingly to me. I suppose I was an optimistic.) I went to Dallas. Here's just a few pics of my getaway. 

My trip was centered around shopping, fun, family, and food. I stuffed my suitcases silly with goodies from my trip. 

Tomorrow, a house project will commence though! The first coat of paint will be going up in the guest bedroom. With the bed being finished, I can't wait for it all to start coming together. 

Do you all have any projects or anything on a list that hasn't gotten done this summer? How do you prioritize your projects?

-E

Snapshot Sunday

I spent an extended weekend in my hometown while Z stayed back to work and complete some house projects. Here's a few snapshots of the weekend. Enjoy!

-E