Real Heart Prints » Home & Garden

Supposed “Benefits” of Home Ownership

Mel — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 20:53:46 +0000

I recently read a brochure in a magazine, which shall remain nameless, and I became very upset the more that I read. This brochure was put out by the National Association of Realtors, and it’s called The Field Guide to the Benefits of Home Ownership. As I read on and on, it was as if a huge guilt trip was being pulled over me, all because we don’t own our own home….we rent. There, I said it….we rent. And I’m darn tootin’ proud of it….and I’ll tell you why in the next few paragraphs. Do we want our own home? Sure, we do. It’s not always that easy, though. Right now, our focus is on getting out of debt (the debt we mistakenly got into when we were first married, as well as debt from losing our first home) and saving money….so that when it is time for us to buy our own home, we’re ready. Frankly, I’m not that into “keeping up with the Joneses.”

A Pantry Turnaround

Mel — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 11:00:03 +0000

So, once again, I’m accepting Sandy’s organizing mission and working hard on my home this week. Last week I focused on my pantry, along with my baking pans/lids. I was super excited to conquer this area of my home because our pantry is a huge part of our daily lives. The clutter and mess was really getting to me. So, without further adieu, here are the before pics (which I am truly blushing over….they are horrid)….As you can see it’s just a big, cluttered mess. Somehow our big container of sandwich cutters got opened up and just thrown in the bottom.I wasn’t sure what to do with all this stuff. We have our dehydrator, lunch cooler (for hiking and bike trails), pressure cooker buried in there, as well as our food processor and some other stuff. Oh my.The food is just all over the place. I had gotten the door shelf kit at Walmart just a couple of weeks ago, and Dan helped me put it up, but I still hadn’t gotten around to organizing it.Notice the top is cluttered up with all kinds of stuff too….plastic tableware all over the place.Ok, so here is after!!!:) Dan is going to build 1-2 extra shelves in this closet and move the middle two up a bit; that way we don’t have all of the wasted space, and we can stock more non-perishable foods, which is one of our goals over the next year. We keep all our extra food/drinks in here; I stock things like soup, beans, rice, pasta, Ginger Ale….I was able to move our cooler to our entryway closet, since we had space there, and that’s a really good place for it. I got rid of a few things, moving them out to shelves in the garage. I mainly moved things we don’t use very often at all.I didn’t show you my top overhead shelf above our heads in our laundry room, but I also cleaned all the empty jars off of it, so now I have that space for canned foods; we keep all of our home canned foods up there. Our food shelf is looking much better now, though.Our top shelf is completely organized now. I found an empty plastic container with lid for all of our loose plastic tableware and moved the baby bottles to the back; that way, we could keep things we use all the time out front, like paper towels, paper plates (we use these a lot for school projects), jar lids, etc.The door is organized too and just works so much better.Finally, here are before and after pics of my cabinet with baking pans….so messy before.I bought this $5 organizer at Walmart, which I’d seen on another blog, and was able to get them in order….so much better.All in all, I’m really pleased. I will be glad to get the extra shelves put in because then it can be a bit less cluttered.:) Have you organized anything lately? Why not join in Organizing with Sandy’s Organizing Mission Monday? It’s fun, and you can get a LOT of great inspiration! Happy Monday to you all!

Watercolor Artwork Now Graces Our Hallway

Mel — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 11:00:33 +0000

Last weekend, the kids, Dan, and I created a masterpiece of watercolor for our hallway. (My pics, again, have both my watermarks, so don’t mind that….)I’d actually been inspired by Tiny Twist Creative. I had some $1 wooden frames we’d picked up on one of our many trips to Michaels (I am currently in withdrawal and need to go back). We got out our paintbrushes, watercolor paints, and frames and set to work, crafting and creating.

Even Daddy got in on the action; we each painted our own frame however we wanted. Then came the job of creating a masterpiece to go inside.I made 4 hearts (one for each of us)….Daddy made a whoopie pie (don’t ask)….Jacob made the sunshine….and Jaden (with Daddy’s help outlining) made a couple of trucks….it was a blast!If you’d asked me before I had kids how I’d be decorating our home, I might not have said framed children’s artwork….but I have to say, it makes some of the best home decor we’ve ever had gracing our walls. It’s contemporary, chic, and overall, full of sentiment and meaning. It’s a great way to decorate, and your kids will be so excited to see their handiwork displayed on the walls of your home for all to see. It was an exciting time for Jaden, especially; he was so excited to see his frame go up on the wall. In fact, we also had an old picture from when Jacob was in kindergarten of a butterfly he’d made, so that went into a frame, as well.I’m thinking we still have room for a few more frames, and we still have another whole wall on the other side of the hallway. There is no end to how we could decorate that wall.

How do you decorate? Do you frame your children’s artwork?

What Do I Do with All These Shoes and Games and Movies?

Mel — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:00:14 +0000

Shoes, shoes, shoes….our entryway closet was filled to the brim with shoes, and frankly, I’d just grown so tired of it that we were just throwing them into the closet in a huge pile. (blushing) Yes, it was that bad. Take a look….(Before you look at the pics, I put my MamaBuzz watermark on every single picture….I claim temporary insanity….it should say Real Heart Prints.)

Finally, I said, “Enough is enough. I’ve got to get this mess organized.” This weekend I set to work organizing both our coat/shoe closet and our movie cabinet, so I’d love to share before and after pics. Ready for the after pic on the coat closet? (Drumroll, please….) Voila!It was a lot of work, but I went through things, overwhelmed at first, but finally getting into a groove. I had a donations bag and a trash pile. Anything I thought we could bless somebody else with went into the donation pile, including purses, coats, even shoes. I actually brought my purse box out of our bedroom closet, cleaned it out, and made that box into a hat, mitten, glove box to put in the top of our coat closet; that way when we’re needing hats or gloves, we’re not searching. We know right where to find them. The boys had a hat box in their closet too that I emptied out and cleaned up, putting them in this little crate instead.It freed up a bit of space for them.Then Dan built some awesome tiered shelves for me with some scrap wood he had in the garage. They work great for keeping our shoes neat and orderly. Boots went up top, and I tried to put the kids’ shoes down low, so they’d be easier for them to get out and put away. I also had a flat mirror, hiding out in that closet before, that we put on the inside of the closet door; that way, we can see if our shoes match as we get ready to walk out the door.Finally, I also organized our movie cabinet and transformed it from this….

into this….yay!

Games are organized by game system, old cases and things are thrown away, game controls are put away in the two green fabric boxes (I got for $1 at Dollar tree, incidentally) out of sight, and exercise equipment/videos are all together. Even our music is stacked neatly, including all the kids’ CDs, easy to find, easy to put away. Our board games actually went into our boys’ closet, since they had a whole top shelf to work with, which really gives so much more room for everything.

I had games stashed anywhere and everywhere, so this freed up room in all parts of the house.:) I actually had no idea how many games we have until Jacob made a huge stack in his room….pretty much as tall as he is. My word….(we are so blessed here in America, I might add; we have so much, and this picture really brings that fact home for me).

So, next week, I’ll share my pantry pics with you….yikes! I’ve totally got my work cut out for me this week.:)

Join in on Organize with Sandy’s Organizing Mission Monday; get inspired, get organized, and have fun with it!

Apron Display

Mel — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:23:27 +0000

For awhile now, I’ve so wanted to display my aprons in a different way….just so they’re hanging and out to help decorate my kitchen area. This weekend, having thought about it for so long, I finally was hit with inspiration, mainly due to the Elmer’s Can You Top This contest going on and the use of a tri-fold display board. Be sure to check out my Apron Display over on MamaBuzz….

Kitchen Fantasy

Mel — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:00:33 +0000

Sometimes I find it hard to be content, and in those moments I find myself fantasizing about my dream kitchen.Â Don’t get me wrong….I love the house we live in right now, but Dan and I long to own our own home.Â In dreaming of owning our own home, I sometimes get to fantasizing about my dream kitchen; in fact, I love this Pretty White Kitchen by Country Home.

If I could build the kitchen of my dreams, it would be humongous!Â After all, the kitchen & living room are really the heart of our home.Â I’d have tons of counter space, counters that wrap around the entire kitchen, with an island in the middle, as well, so I can pretend I’m on my own cooking show, baking the latest creations.:)There would absolutely be enough room for at least 4 people to be in the kitchen cooking at the same time.Â Of course, on one side of our kitchen counters (the side facing our dining room), I’d have a high counter with kitchen bar stools, so the kids could sit there and eat or work on school or play with their cars or whatever.Â I think the counter space is what I most desire in a kitchen, over all else.Â I just want room to move and work and create.Of course, why not add new appliances in, as well?Â Maybe we could finally get that double door refrigerator (with the freezer on the bottom), with an ice maker built in….a new stove would be nice with a huge oven for all the baking we I love to do. No kitchen would be complete without a pantry.Â I’m thinking our pantry could be walk-in with white shelving and storage space for all our canning jars and supplies hidden away in bottom cabinets.Â Not only that, but we could have shelves built in with our kitchen cabinets for cookbooks and vintage collectibles, maybe even a few hooks here and there for aprons.Â That built-in desk would be awesome, so when I’m cooking and Jacob needs help with school….well, need I say more? Oh, and our kitchen cabinets would be tall and wide and the shelves would be big enough to fit all of our stuff without cups falling on our heads when we reach for the mixing bowls.:)

Most of all, our kitchen would have vintage flair….that country farmhouse from the 40′s/50′s look.Â Maybe throw in a little Tuscany.Â Don’t worry….I’m not complaining.Â But a girl has a right to dream, right?:)Â Some day, my kitchen fantasy will come true.Â I’m sure there’s more….but I’ll just share a pic of my new kitchen with you some day.

(Disclosure: Compensation was received for this post, for the purposes of a future review with Wayfair.)

Finding My Style

Mel — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 10:00:54 +0000

With the return of fall to the Ozark hills, it’s found me nesting it up, wanting to really get down to the nitty gritty and find my style, which I think it’s safe to say is not just one style but a myriad of many.Â I’ve been going through my house, little by little, taking note of how I can make it more of a haven.Â What are areas I need to make a more calming atmosphere within, and which areas need to be more energetic?Â Those are questions that have been swirling around in my head.Â Sometimes I find inspiration from just browsing around my favorite blogs or stores online.Â Whether I’m looking through pictures of curtains, console tables, sofa covers, or other types of home decor, I always find some sort of inspiration.

What do you look to for inspiration in your home?Â Do you find great home decor blogs online and read through their latest posts, maybe even participating when called for? Do you find inspiration from a beautiful piece of furniture? Does your inspiration come from a single color in your duvet or a beautiful piece of wall decor?Maybe you find inspiration in the holiday season.Wherever you find your inspiration, go with it.Â This is one occasion where you can truly listen to your heart.Â Go with what makes your home feel like the one place you can go to for escape, with the style that helps your family to truly “live” in your home.Â Find what gives your family the peace and serenity that should be found in a home.Â Get inspired to find your style.Â Now I’m off to find my own.:)

(Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post.)

Making a Family Wall

Mel — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:32:07 +0000

For a while now, I’ve been wanting to go through our home and just make some changes, decor wise.Â It’s not always easy when you’re on a very tight budget, but I finally did come through on our family wall.Â I actually was inspired by a post that I saw on The Inspired Room, in which she showcased a stairwell, covered in picture frames.Â This stairwell was created by Sandra over on Sawdust and Paper Scraps.Â The colors inspired me, the variety of frames inspired me, and I decided to see what I could come up with.I ended up digging through my crates and finding old frames that had older pictures in them; I also went to Dollar Tree and picked up some nice frames.Â Finally, I went to Lowes and picked up a few sample cans of paint.Â These little containers were under $3 apiece, and I picked out just a few different colors that I couldn’t otherwise get in a dollar can of spray paint.Finally, I painted all the frames, picking out which ones I wanted to be certain colors.Â Painting them was super easy; the hard part came when it came time to pick out which pictures to place in which frames.Â I printed out all my pictures in black and white on my photo printer, and then Dan helped me make a few mats for the larger frames; we made the mats out of cardstock.Â There is just something about a black and white picture; it just gives a room a more classic, defined look.Â Most of my pics, I printed out either 4×6 or smaller.Â There are a couple of 5×7′s.Lastly, I arranged the pictures around vinyl lettering I’d gotten a while back for a review.Â It came from Giggly Gumdrops, and it says Home Where Our Story Begins.Â I arranged pictures of our boys and us around those words, and then I fanned out on the wall with pictures of our parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, etc.Â It turned out really beautifully.Â To me, as it’s the start of a color scheme change (I’m trying to go with a lighter atmosphere), it almost looks a bit out of place, but it’s a start, and it makes me so happy just to see those pictures every single day.Â (You’ve probably noticed the empty frame; it’s for a picture of my grandparents that I’m hoping to get a copy of next time I’m at my parents’.)Â One thing I do love about the wall is that we can add or take away from it anytime….there’s no end to what we can do with it.In my opinion, as I’d posted on Facebook last night, I really have started to feel that our home is a haven for our family; it really should make us happy when we walk in the door; it might even make us giddy with joy.Â Even if you take small babysteps along the way, work with what you have to make your home that place of giddy joy.Â It will show not only your finger prints but your heart prints along the way.:)

Autumn Mantel & China Hutch

Mel — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 19:53:41 +0000

My house is really a work in progress when it comes to decorating, but I find so much inspiration from other bloggers, including Melissa, who’s having her Annual Fall Nesting Party right now over at The Inspired Room.

This time of year is the time that I wait impatiently for every single year; I just love fall so much!Â Last weekend I put out a few decorations for fall, mainly on our mantel, which I’m thinking will get a slight makeover with my new idea for a family tree wall.I put some leaves up on top of our kitchen cabinets, and then our China hutch is also decorated somewhat. I found this berry vine at Michael’s last year, and I wish I had bought an extra, as I love the colors!Â I can use it for anytime of the year really, and it looks festive.The front door has a welcoming fall wreath, as well as Jaden’s “friend,” who stands to the side….his little scarecrow.Â Now to get my mums planted outside and clean out the garden for the winter.Â This weekend I’m working on my family tree wall; in fact, I’m headed to Lowes in just a bit to get paint for my frames.Â Happy fall nesting!

This post is linked to The Inspired Room.

It’s That Time of Year Again

Mel — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:03:49 +0000

Yesterday I put up strawberries….yummy, delicious, super red strawberries.:)Â All in all, I came out with 8 quart bags of strawberries, all sugared, cut up, and put in the freezer….12+ pints of strawberry freezer jam, and a bunch of berries left over to eat with the homemade pound cake I’m planning to make today.Â Yum!
Yep, it’s that time of year again, the time of year when I get the spring fever to start planting and planning what all I’ll make.Â I’ve finally decided that I’m going to can this year.Â I’ve always made excuses in years past, but this year, I’m hoping to actually put some stuff in both our pantry and freezer.Â Maybe make some salsa, spaghetti sauce, put some corn and green beans up, maybe even make some pickles.Â Who knows?Â The sky’s the limit!Â I love spring!

Now if I can just get my garden in this weekend….rain, rain, go away for just a couple days….