Sunshine Nest

Office~

2011-02-16T14:31:00.000-06:00

I have been playing around with office ideas on Polyvore. I think this is what I will do in my dining room/office. This room is right off the entry foyer so it is the first thing you see when you walk in my home. I would still like it to have a dining room feel when you walk in but with plenty storage to hide papers, bills, files ect... I already have a long white farm table I purchased on craiglist and the damask curtains...I love the metal chairs! I think they tie in nicely with the white and wood accents! I think I may put large shelves on the wall..like these from The Old Painted Cottage I Love her wall with big bulky built-ins and the additional built in counter would provide the perfect little place for laptop! It looks like there's going to be many big projects to work on in 2011!! : )

Christmas Around The House

2010-12-23T13:31:00.000-06:00

Wow, I cant believe there are only two more days until Christmas! I am almost finished with Christmas shopping..only a few last minute stocking stuffers and I will be done!

My mom has been in town visiting for Christmas, it's been so nice having her here with me! We are so much alike..both with a love for decorating..although, she is very good at sewing as well as gardening and I, however, am not. I wish I had inherited it from her! She made me a cute pair of curtains for the kitchen with muslin fabric that I've had on hand, they turned out really great! She also made me a few pillows for the living room that I'm very excited about, more about that soon when I get them up! Thank you mom! I love you!!

Well, I noticed time was a flyin' and thought that I had better get some Christmas posts up soon...I snapped a few pictures from around my home decorated for Christmas!

I found this great idea from here! I love it!

I know, I need to remove that sticker from my window! Ha!


One of my favorite things around my house is this rosemary tree...it smells so good! It makes my home smell like Christmas!

Christmas Mantle~

2010-12-04T22:00:00.000-06:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Eeeeeverywhere you go ...

But the prettiest sight to see,

is the holly that will be,

On your own front door..

I have been singing this song all week...it's the one that always plays in my head when I'm decorating for Christmas!

This year I've changed things up a bit, our mantle has a more natural feel with lots of white and lots of burlap. I have several small glass candle holders, I always pick a few up when I'm at the thrift shop.. I think they make cute little pinecone holders :)

I'm linking up to the Lettered Cottage's Mantle Party..Make sure to check it out for tons of beautiful ideas and inspiration! Click on the badge below :)

Fall Front Door~

2010-11-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome Friends...

Would you like to join me for a hot cup of pumpkin spice coffee and a slice of warm pumpkin bread?

Mmmm...one of my favorite things about Fall is pumpkin spice coffee..

And...warm pumpkin bread...


YUM! Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Bread from Cooking Light You can get the recipe by clicking here

Here is our front door all decorated for Fall...It is a little hard to tell but I strung white lights around the leaf garland...I love the lights..they make it look cozy :)

My faux urns are still holding up well...I can't wait to dress them up for Christmas. :)

Thank you for Stopping by..

Have Fabulous Day :)

Trash To Treasure~

2010-11-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

I've been looking for a little night stand for J's room. I thought for sure I would find one that I could fix up at our town's community flea market..but..no such luck. I did find some great things however, I did not find my little end table. So..what is a girl to do? Pick up someones curbside trash. Desperate times call for desperate measures...

This chair is getting a makeover and its going to be transformed into a little end table.

So..first I took off the ladder back using a screwdriver to unscrew the screws and then using a hammer to bang on it because it would not budge.

When I finally got the back off, I filled in the holes with wood filler. Once it dried I sanded the area down to make it smooth. Then, I continued to lightly sand the chair all over to remove all the dirt and yucky stuff.

Then, I painted it red..

And the end result..a charming little end table to place our books on so they don't end up on the floor after story time. :)

Wordless Wednesday (With A Few Words)

2010-11-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

Where's Lucy? :)

Fall Mantle

2010-11-15T11:23:00.000-06:00

Our Fall Mantle...

I just bought the brown candle stands at a garage sale.. both for one dollar. I think I'm gong to paint them white. An urn with handmade moss ball and faux pumpkin. It's actually a Halloween pumpkin, it says Happy Halloween on the back. Turn it around and nobody will know :)

I love stacked books..I have stacked books everywhere. They don't have to be fancy or anything, I just turn them around so only the side with the pages are showing.

A pine cone my sweet J gave me :)

A little turkey plate I bought at TJ Max.

Happy Fall Decorating :)

Welcome...

2010-10-20T13:04:00.000-05:00

...To our SpOoKy GrAvEyArD....muahahahahahahaha (evil laugh)

We have been spooking things up over here! Every Halloween I add just a little bit more. Hopefully next year I'll have more lighting and a fogger for my graveyard. I'm envisioning an eerie green foggy glow. But, as much as I love Halloween, I don't like to pay full price for decorations, so I will have to wait (I'm cheap like that) plus I always love to get a good deal! :)


My daughter had lots of fun helping me decorate the yard. She added her special little touch of bling-bling around the bench with sparkly garland.

I bought the roll out fence on sale for ten dollars at the garden center at Lowe's..I was going to paint it black but I decided to keep it white so I can use it again at Easter.


These are our SpOoKy ghosts! We made them 2 years ago and they have held up very well...even in the rain. I had some old white fabric on hand. I bought this fabric years ago, I wanted to teach myself how to make a slipcover but never got around to trying it. Anyhow, these were really easy to make..all we did was stuff a bunch of newspaper in a plastic grocery store bag and shaped it into a round fluffy ghost head. We tied the end of the bags real tight to hold their round shape. We draped the fabric over the bags. I then used a sewing needle to thread some plastic fishing string/wire over the top and the sides for the arms. For the eyes and mouth, we cut out shapes from black felt and glued them on with a glue gun. I tied the fishing string to the tree branches and that was it! I like that plastic fishing string because you can't see it..it makes them look like they are FlOaTiNg in the air....

They used to have cute black and white gingham bows around their necks but I decided to take them off. The bows make them look more "cutesy" I was going for a more SpOoKy look this year!


Oh, Me..Oh, My! A witch crashing! LoL..directions on this project coming soon! :)

Boo!

2010-10-18T10:26:00.000-05:00

We went Booing last night, or as the kids like to call it..."ding-dong-ditching" Ha! I think it's the funnest part about Booing for them.... ringing the doorbell and then running away. It's the only time they can get away with it..lol! They get so excited about Booing every year, it's become a tradition on our street.

This year we used these very cute Boo printables and I just had to share these ADORABLE printables with you!. You can find them at The Tomkat Studio. If you haven't been there, you must check it out...lots of fun printables and lots of eye candy. She also has an Etsy shop too!

Click here to be directed to The Tomkat Studio Boo Printables!

Have fun BOOOOOOing! :)

Black Bean Soup~

2010-10-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Ahhh...there's nothing like a nice warm soup on a brisk Autumn evening. Now if it would only cool down a little bit, I will be a very happy girl! :) This is my absolute favorite time of year..the leaves are turning all shades of red, orange and yellow...the air is cooler..football games...pumpkin coffee and comfort food... bliss! I most definitely need to stick with my work out routine this time of year! However, were not having true Fall weather here just yet...BUT...I can still turn up the air, bundle up in my favorite cozy pants and slippers and have a bowl of nice warm soup!

This is what I made last night, it's one of our family's favorite recipes. Even the kids love it...and I have two very picky eaters..lol. :)

Pumpkin Wreath~

2010-10-11T08:45:00.000-05:00

I love this front porch from Southern Living. I saw this picture sometime last year and wanted to make the wreath for my front door... but... somehow time slipped away from me and before I knew it, it was already Halloween.

I love how full it looks and all the the moss in between the pumpkins .

(you can click on the link or picture for instructions on how to make this wreath)

Southern Living

This year I came across this one from Better Homes and Gardens. It looks very much like the other wreath but it is a little less work.
( you can click on the link for instructions)
Better Homes And Gardens

So, I began my search for supplies. First, I went to Hobby Lobby for the small decorative pumpkins but they were 2.50 each. I needed 14 of them and really didn't want to spend 35.00 on pumpkins.

I could have waited until they went on sale but when I'm in the mood to do a project, I have to do it NOW or I will not stop thinking about it (I'm impatient like that) LOL :) So, I kept looking and looking....and finally ended up finding some pumpkins in the craft section at Walmart for 1.00 each! They are from the Better Homes & Gardens line. Ahhh...14.00 dollars...much better and they look just like the ones from Hobby Lobby! By the way, I'm loving the Bh&G stuff at Walmart..have you seen their bigger faux pumpkins? They look like the real thing and come in green, white and orange and the best part is that they are only five dollars...Way to go Walmart!

Anyhow...back to the wreath...I followed the directions for the Bh&G wreath. I already had a grapevine wreath and glue sticks so all I needed was a few small decorative pumpkins and black ribbon for the bow.

First, I layed out my wreath and began gluing on the pumpkins...

I made sure to put on a LOT of glue so they stay on well.

I kept working my way around the wreath, leaving an empty space at the top for the bow.

I made a bow and tied it to the wreath with a black pipe cleaner...then, I hung it up!

I love the way it turned out and it was easy peasy!

Here is my front front door.

Have a Happy Day Friends! :)

Faux Urns and Pumkin Topiaries~

2010-09-28T13:48:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting urns for quite some time... unfortunately, at $75.00 an urn I just can't spend that kind of money right now. While I was at the garden center in Walmart the other day, I began to think...hmmm....how could I make one? I started playing with plastic pots, stacking them and turning them upside down, the people walking by me must have been wondering... what in the world is that woman doing??? LOL..I gathered some cheap plastic pots, 2 large, 2 small ones and 2 large terracotta saucers. For only a few bucks, I thought it would be worth a try and I could have some fun decorating them for the seasons... at least until I can afford to buy some real ones someday!

Here is what the pots look like...I think the larger one was $7.00, the smaller one was $3.00 and the terracotta saucers were $4.00... costing me around $14.00 per urn.

I already had plastic spray paint and Goop glue...

First, I painted the saucers black...placed upside down, it will be the base of the urns.

Then I cleaned and wiped the bottom of the small pot and spread a ton of goop glue on it.

I placed the larger pot on top...

I put a brick inside the pot to help it adhere to the glue.

Then,using plastic spray paint I began to paint them black.

And....here is my end result. My Fall urns....I love them!!

I bought the faux pumpkins and crows at Michaels...they were already marked half off!

I filled the inside of the urns with crumbled up newspaper and topped it off with spanish moss I bought at a garage sale for 15 cents a bag. I love the look of the moss draping over the sides...makes it look spooky!

Super easy project! And I'll have fun decorating these for sure! :)

Salt Anyone?

2010-09-04T10:22:00.000-05:00

It was not until I moved to Texas that I discovered the wonderful salty-sweetness of salting my watermelon...my mother introduced me to it at a family Texas BBQ and I just about devoured the entire thing...salting...eating...salting...eating. Im hooked...now I can't have it any other way. Some people say it brings out the sweetness in it but I just love it for its salty-ness!

Im from out West and discovered this about 3 years ago. Is it a Southern thing? A Texas thing or maybe just a preference I had not heard of before...who knows? BUT I like it! :)

How about you? Do you salt your watermelon or do you prefer unsalted?

Wordless Wednesday (with a few words)

2010-09-01T10:09:00.000-05:00

Indiana Barbie?

LOL! Happy Wednesday! :)

A little Peak...

2010-08-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Into my kitchen eating nook. This is what it looked like before...

and this is after ...

Notice the beadboard? YAY!!!!! I have beadboard now! Oh, how I LOVE beadboard! The new paint color is called Toasted Pinenut by Sherwin Williams. It's a great neutral color and goes with everything. What a difference a little paint and beadboard make. I am having new curtains made for the windows. I should be getting them any day now. I cant wait! Next, I will be painting those cabinets!

Have a great day! :)

~My Heart Sings Sunday~

2010-08-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

A GARDEN OF FOUNTAINS

Behold, My hand is upon thee to bless thee and to accomplish all My good purposes. For this hour I have prepared thy heart: and in My kindness I will not let thee fail. Only relinquish all things into My hands: for I can work freely only as ye release Me by complete committal both of thyself and others. Even as was written of old: "Commit thy way unto the Lord: trust also in Him: and He shall bring it to pass". (Psalms 37:5)

I will be thy sustaining strength; and My peace shall garrison thy mind. Only TRUST ME that all I do is done in love. For adversities must of necessity come. They are part of the pattern of life's pilgrimage for every individual; and who can escape them? But I say unto thee, that for those who walk in Me, and for those who are encircled by the intercessory prayers of My children, I shall make of the suffering, yea, shall make of the trials a stepping stone to future blessing. (2 Corinthians 4:17,18)

My arms are around thee, and never have I loved thee more! I will make thee like A GARDEN OF FOUNTAINS whose streams are fed by the mountain springs. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (Isaiah 58:11)

~Experts from Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts~

I Love This!

2010-08-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

This is an actual car commercial...it's great! Happy Thursday! :)

My New Kitchen Coming Soon~

2010-08-24T12:51:00.000-05:00

We live in a modern suburban home with a very modern suburban kitchen...you know the ones with basic cabinets, appliances and boring big white bulider tiles everywhere. We have lived in this house three years and have painted and repainted the kitchen three times...I know, pretty bad huh?

I decided it was time I get some help so I contacted a home decorator... I emailed the very sweet and talented Holly of Holly Mathis Interiors and she so kindly came to my rescue in a very short notice (as my husband was tired of playing checkers on the kitchen walls and had already hired someone to repaint) I had no clue what to do before the painter came...luckily, I too live in TX and not very far from Holly so, she came over and helped me...It was soooo much fun working with her! She has such an eye for decorating and had the most wonderful ideas. Holly wrote about my kitchen on her blog, you can read about the different paint options we discussed for the cabinets here on her post about painting cabinets.

There were many different paint options we discussed but narrowed it down to about two of them. Im still a little torn between painting my cabinets gray or black, although I have always been a lover of white cabinets, I am leaning more towards painting them black since I have white corian counters and it will tie in nicely with many of my black accents around the house. Here are a few more paint color options...

This is a picture of what my cabinets look like now...

White?? (notice my brown hardwood floors? Ha!)

black?

maybe white AND black??

grey...I love grey!

Here are a few kitchen photos I like for inspiration:

Unknown Source

Better Homes & Gardens

Country Living

Better Homes & Gardens

Stay tuned for a kitchen reveal coming soon!

Front Door Makeover

2010-07-05T11:33:00.001-05:00

Before

After

We primed, painted and added new hardware...super easy project and what a big difference!

We painted the door black inside and out..I love the way it turned out. I'll post more pics of the inside foyer later... also, been working on a kitchen re-do...more to come on that soon! :)

J's Room~

2010-05-30T15:27:00.000-05:00

This is my son's room....dont you just love the bed risers? Haha...I need to cover them somehow! I bought the antique bed for $100 and dresser was $50...my husband and I painted it blue then distressed it. I wish I had taken a before pic! I love the style of the bed and really like how it turned out.

I found the Pottery Barn quilt on ebay for half the cost of a new one :)

This is my inspiration for his room...it's a page I tore out of a BH&G magazine years ago...I LOVE this room! To me, it screams all boy! I love the huge rustic American flag above the bed and the old fence post that says Good Night!

I found this Painted American Flag at Pottery Barn...I would love to purchase this for J's room..it's perfect... but with a $100 price tag... Im wondering if there's a way I could make one? Maybe with a sheet of bead board or just a plain wooden board?

I bought old looking glass knobs at Hobby Lobby for the dresser...

This is a tin sign I found in Canton...I framed it to give it a little more "umph"

These are all of my husbands old marbles...he would play with them when he was child now they are in J's room. I like how they look displayed in the antique jars...and J sooo LOVES to play marbles with daddy! :)

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend! ;)

Dreaming of Cozy Garden Retreats & Summer Porches~

2010-04-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still here! I have been so busy, busy, busy...between all the end of the school year activities combined with my classes, birthdays and housework I have hardly had time to do what I love the most this time of year :( ...gardening.

I have been thinking alot about garden plans, cozy little eating areas and garden retreats...I've been working on the back patio, I put my favorite little white hutch out there of which I am now using as a potting area. I also put our old kitchen table on the patio... Im in search of cute little outdoor chairs for it. I can't wait till its done! I'll post pictures when its all finished! This is my plan for the porch...(sorry it looks so sloppy).....

Here are some of my favorite pictures...

I love this one! I (Sigh)...I could see myself sitting here.... reading a magazine...drinking my sweet iced tea. It's so cozy!

I love the umbrella and the galvenized buckets filled with fresh bouquets of flowers...

I want to eat lunch here...

Love this too... it's so simple and so country! LOVE white pitchers with white daisies!

I would love to have a screened in porch! I live in South Texas and the mosquitos are so bad here...

I want to snuggle here with my babe...got to get a porch swing!

Love this room!

~My Heart Sings Sunday~

2010-03-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

KEEP THY FACE TOWARD THE SUNRISE

Behold I have sent thee out alone, but I have gone before to prepare thy way; yea, through the darkness to bear a light. I ask thee only to follow Me, for I will surely lead thee in a safe path though dangers lurk on every hand. Yea, I will be thy protection: I will be thy comfort. I will be thy joy.

I will turn the bitter tear to sweet perfume. By My Spirit, I will mend the broken heart. I will pour warm, fragrant oil into the deep wound. For Mine heart is fused with thy heart, and in thy grief, I am one with thee. Yea I will fill the vacant place.

Mine arms shall hold thee, and thou shalt not fall. My grace shall sustain thee, and thou shalt not fall. My grace shall sustain thee, and thou shalt not faint. My joy shall fortify thy spirit even as a broken body is rejuvenated by a blood transfusion. My smile shall dispel the shadows, and My voice shall speak courage.

Yea, I will surely keep thee, and thou shalt not know fear. Thou shalt rest thy foot upon the threshold of heaven. I shall hide thee in My pavilion. Thou shalt have My constant care. I will not leave thee for a moment. I will keep thee from despair: I will deliver thee from confusion.. When thou art perplexed, I will guide thee to wisdom and in judgement.

By thy light shall others be led out of the valley. By thy courage shall the weak be lifted up. By thy steadfastness shall he that wavereth be stabilized. Lo, the hour is upon thee. Look not back. Keep thy face toward the sunrise, for He shall rise fresh daily in thy soul with healing in His wings.

Under every burden,
.....God will slip His hand.
Every gulf of sorrow,
.....His great love has spanned,
Into every heart-ache,
.....God will our His balm:
Ease the pain and anguish,
.....bring a blessed calm.

~Experts from Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts

Dreamy Kitchens~

2010-03-11T19:57:00.000-06:00

I have another addiction...and it's called www.houzz.com! So much fun browsing through all of the beautiful photos. Here's a few of my favorite kitchens.....

missw's Kitchen Ideas

Houzz- Kitchen Design, Bathroom Design and More»

Im back at it again!

2010-03-11T10:00:00.000-06:00

It seems I just cant stay away from it for too long! What is it about blogging that is so addicting? Is it just being able to vent away in blogger about all my thoughts and to do lists...well, mostly all of my wish lists but still!

When I've been away too long I miss sharing ideas and finding friendships with other bloggy friends :) But then life gets crazy and then I find myself on here too much when I should be doing other things like laundry, mopping or something fun like that. I dont want to stay away from blogging because its my outlet and I miss it when its gone... but for me, It has to be more structured. SO! My name is Sole' and Im a blogoholic and I promise myself to only Blog AFTER my houshold duties, studies, and everything else is finished. Okay, I feel much better about this now..hee!

Now I gotta go do this P90X! The infomercials are very convincing so I need to try this out and see if I can really get in shape in 90 days..we'll see if I can stick to it! Have a fab day! :)