i should be mopping the floor: May 2016
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Farmhouse Finds for Under $25

This post for Farmhouse Finds contains affiliate links. I make a small percentage when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

Want the farmhouse look on a budget? I've rounded up over 15 farmhouse finds for under $25 that will give you the look for less (and they're ALL on Amazon Prime!). Check out all the vintage, rustic fun below.

Farmhouse Finds

We're all a little gaga for the farmhouse look. I'm certainly guilty of dreaming over those vintage tin signs, cotton bolls, and mason jars. But the price tags can be a bit much. Am I right? Why does old-ish stuff have to cost a fortune? I live just under an hour from the super popular Magnolia mothership...and while I love the place, it leaves my pocketbook really sad. I thought it would be fun to find the same type goodies for a whole lot less. AND, all of these items are available on Amazon prime for a fraction of the cost that it is in the fancier places. Check these fabulous finds out below.

Inspiration Monday

Hey, friends! Hope you're enjoying the weekend...for some, the holiday weekend! Whether you're on a summer break or not, the temperatures sure are heating up...and so is the inspiration every week at the party. Hope you're ready for some eye candy!
There were LOADS of patriotic links in last week's party...perfect for this weekend.
This week's features were selected by Laura from Inspiration for Moms.

Free Printable Happy Birthday Banner

This post for a Happy Birthday Banner contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

This glittery free printable Happy Birthday banner is perfect for all of your celebrations! The glitter is actually embedded into the graphic...so no mess for all of you glitter-phobes. Download this simple, celebratory banner below.

Free Printable Happy Birthday Banner | Large party banner ready to print and hang. The glittery letters are embedded, so no mess! | Instant Download
On Memorial Day, we'll be celebrating my husband's grandmother's birthday at our home. I created this Happy Birthday banner for the special day. I thought a robin's egg blue with gold, glittery letters was sweet and pretty...and the perfect touch for a par-tay! I thought it would be fun to share it with you today. Download your free printable banner below.

Vintage Dishes Worth Collecting

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 
All opinions are mine alone. #Guides4eBay #CollectiveBias

Are you a dish junkie like I am? 
Today, I'm over on eBay sharing my favorite vintage dishes worth collecting. 
Your china cabinet will be overflowing with awesomeness.

From vintage and kitchsy, to the much sought after collector pieces that everyone wants, I'm sharing several sets of dishes that are worth a second (and third and forth) look. These timeless pieces will bring beauty to your home and nostalgia to your table.


Whether it's Flow Blue you're after, or some fun Fire King Jadeite, there's a collection for everyone. Click here to see them all. Happy dishing, y'all!




China Cabinet Styling Ideas

This post for China Cabinet Styling Ideas contains affiliate links. I make a small percentage when these links are used, at no additional cost to you

I've been working on some china cabinet styling ideas in my own dining room and thought I would share them here, too. From traditional, to modern, there are endless possibilities for displaying dishes and serving ware. 

How to Style Your China Cabinet
One of the rooms I've been piddling in lately is our dining room. We're having guests over this weekend...since we've officially been moved in for over two months, I thought it was way past time to load the dishes in my china cabinets. Having guests is a fabulous excuse to get things done, right?

Inspiration Monday

It's been a wild one, y'all. Spent last weekend down in San Antonio on the Riverwalk (all of my family is from SA, so it's like my second hometown next to good ol' Austin). Did a ton of antiquing on Hildebrand and Blanco streets...ate too much, lounged too much, but had a lovely time. Came home to that crazy end-of-school season...but we're in the homestretch! A few more banquets, stage-walks, and then a big "see ya later"! Bring on the summertime!

The theme for this week's features is SUMMER! 
Last week's party had so many fabulous ideas to usher in the summertime fun. 
Here's just a few of my faves. 

Free Watercolor Scripture Printable

This Free Watercolor Scripture Printable, featuring Psalms 147:3, is not the original printable I was going to share this week. But, it's been a week. This was kind of comforting to me as I went about designing its layers of watercolors and flowers. Grab your 8x10 below.

Free Watercolor Scripture Printable, featuring Psalms 147:3 | 8x10 | Instant Download
Do you ever just have a weepy week? It's been that for me. Just a lot of things going on right now. As I have trudged along through the week, I've had my favorite Christian playlist always going on. One of my favorite Point of Grace songs, Friend of a Wounded Heart, kept popping on over and over. After really listening to the words, I went to find coordinating scriptures to the song...just for my own needs. Psalms 147:3 was one of the ones that popped up over and over. So, it ended up kind of becoming this week's free printable. I hope it brings you comfort, too.

Kids' Reading Corner with DIY Artwork

This Kids' Reading Corner with DIY Artwork in my son's room is a sweet little spot for him to get away to. I'd love to tell you he's spending hours pouring over the great works of literature...but it's usually a Star Wars novel or Lego book. Hey...I'll take it.

Kids' Reading Corner and DIY Canvas Artwork | Sweet space for the kiddos to escape to...this post includes a tutorial on making the Batman canvas, too.
As we turn the corner into the almost-teenage-years, we've noticed that *someone* is quite opinionated about his room and its decor. Understandably so. But, I still try to intervene with some suggestions (and reign in my total type-A-ness). With the Batman kick he's on (he's just graduated into being allowed to watch some PG-13 movies)...it's opened a whole new world of super hero excitement. I thought it would be cool to add a touch of vintage Batman...since it's perfect with his interests and the vintage vibe still fits in with the rest of the house. This canvas is an upcycle...I've got all of its DIY details below. Including the fun peel and stick Batman poster I grabbed here.

DIY Industrial Light Fixture

This post for a DIY Industrial Light Fixture contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

This DIY Industrial Light Fixture is the latest piece I've made for my son's room. It's a lot less expensive to DIY this vintage light, rather than purchase it ready-made. And absolutely no special skills are required for this one. I put it together in an hour, completely on my own.
DIY Industrial Light Fixture
I've been wanting one of these vintage DIY industrial light fixtures for awhile. We have the perfect spot in my son's room and it totally fits with his decor. You can purchase a pre-made fixture online, but this DIY version is less than half the cost. See all of my details on creating this piece below. 

Inspiration Monday

Hey, hey, hey! Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend. 
We're definitely on the countdown to summah-summah-summahtime in our house.
And there was a BUNCH of awesome inspiration last week to get us there.

This week's features were chosen by Debbie from RefreshRestyle.com

Free Printable Mason Jar Pop Art

Today, I'm sharing some free printable Mason Jar Pop Art...
because nothing says summer like a good old-fashioned mason jar. 

Free Printable Mason Jar Pop Art | 8x10 | Instant Download
I love a good mason jar...no surprises there! I thought it would be so fun to create some Andy Warhol-inspired pop art. 
Instead of soup cans...a rainbow of Ball Mason Jars. 
Download your 8x10 free printable Mason Jar Pop Art below.

Simple Summer Mantel Decor

I put together this simple summer mantel decor with some fun touches and neutral colors.
I'm really happy with how it came together.

Simple Summer Mantel Decor with a touch of Farmhouse
I feel like I'm kind of all over the place with the new home decor posts lately...a kitchen post here, dining room there...today, the formal living room. We're kind of attacking this place in small pieces. This particular room that I'm showing you today is not done, but it's *good enough*. For now, anyway. We're hosting my husband's grandmother's birthday party here at the end of the month...so right now a lot of rooms are getting a *good enough* fix. The goal is to just get them up to par and looking decent for the party. The fun part? I'll still have plenty to keep me busy long after the party is over. 

This simple summer mantel is now one of my favorite spots in the house. It's definitely the done-est part of this formal living room. Check out how I made that monogram below (you'll never guess what cool product I used for it!).

Thrifted Dining Room Decor

Today, I'm sharing my thrifted dining room decor...and helping launch a new series with some of my favorite bloggers! We're all here to tell you that "stylish" definitely doesn't have to be spendy or time-consuming. Join us the second Wednesday of every month for our thrifty decorating ideas.

Thrifted Dining Room Decor | From Goodwill lamps to an antique crib to a Craigslist buffet, this post has great ideas for inexpensive decor!
I am super excited about today's post. My friend, Julie of redheadcandecorate.com, (we've been bloggy buddies for like four years now...wow!), came up with this brilliant team of gals and I was super honored to be a part of it. We're all sharing various ideas about thrifted decor...from simple to somewhat elaborate. From cheap to even cheaper. And from ugly to beautiful...lots of fun makeovers (or even as is projects) for you to grab ideas from. And my thrifted dining room decor is kicking it off here on ISBMTF.

How to Clean Your House Fast for Company

This post is brought to you by Bounty. 
I'm a member of the #QuickerPickerUpper Crew, but all of my opinions are mine.

Need to clean the house fast? I promise it can be done.
Today, I'm sharing my favorite tips and tricks for cleaning the house in under an hour....because company's coming, y'all! 
And we may not have had a warning. ;)

How to Clean Your House Fast for Company

Can you believe the Rio 2016 Olympic Games are right around the corner? Bounty, the Quicker Picker Upper, has teamed up with one of the quickest women in the world, Olympic Sprinter and Four-Time Gold Medalist Allyson Felix. Allyson Felix is quick on the track, but she’s also quick at home because she uses Bounty Paper Towels, which helps her clean up messes and spills in record time.
And along with that theme of QUICK...today, I am sharing how to clean your house fast for company...because sometimes you don't have a lot of warning, right?
Grab a fresh roll of Bounty Paper Towels, a good multi-purpose cleaner and let's get started!

Inspiration Monday

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mamas out there, y'all! I hope everyone is having a relaxing weekend and getting some time with the ones you love! We've been junkin' and paintin'...my faves! Today's party is awesome...so happy you're here to join us.
This weeks features were chosen by Julie from redheadcandecorate.com:

Free Printable Paper Mini Rosette Banner

This post for a Rosette Banner contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

This free Printable Paper Mini Rosette Banner is a fun addition to any decor. I've given it a sweet and simple aqua and red gingham look...perfect for spring and summertime.
Free Printable Paper Mini Rosette Banner with Tutorial on Creating the Pieces
I was kind of getting bored of 8x10" printables every week, y'all (and you probably were, too!). I thought it would be fun to change things up and design something a bit different this week. This free Printable Paper Mini Rosette Banner has all of its downloadable components below...along with a complete tutorial on making these sweet little rosettes.

DIY Plumbing Pipe Curtain Rod

This post for a DIY Plumbing Pipe Curtain Rod contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you. 

Our DIY Plumbing Pipe Curtain Rod worked out so well in our son's room, that we've now installed similar ones in four other rooms in our home. These make for fantastic extra long rods since they do not bow in the middle and can span the widest windows in your home. Come see our complete tutorial for this DIY Plumbing Pipe Curtain Rod below.

Plumbing Pipe Curtain Rod
As we work on the different rooms in this ol' house of ours, we have learned that there are definitely quirks. For instance, the four windows (well, I guess *technically* it's four sets of three windows...meaning twelve windows) across the front of the house are all in this off-beat bay-style window. I say off-beat because these little areas have their own ceilings. While blinds would work, I loathe dusting blinds more than I loathe mopping. Exactly. So, we needed a new solution. This was actually our second solution. Our first one went over like an elephant pole vaulting. We crashed and burned on it. But check out how this plumbing pipe curtain rod worked perfectly for our situation (and see what blew up on us, too!).

DIY 3D Artwork with Free Printable Background

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 
All opinions are mine alone. #SpringCreations #CollectiveBias

This DIY 3D Artwork was so much fun to put together. I've got the step-by-step tutorial for you below, complete with the free printable background that creates this piece. It's the perfect addition to your home decor.
DIY 3D Artwork with Free Printable Background | Download this cityscape and learn how to create this fun 3 dimensional piece of art with simple mounting tape and cutting.
This DIY 3D Artwork is perfect for our new home...we have some wall space we need to fill up and this was an inexpensive and FUN way to do so. I was inspired by my husband's love of Brooklyn as well as our friend's layered artwork that was in her home years ago when we hung out there a lot (hi, Amber!). Check out this tutorial and download the city background to create it.

Inspiration Monday

May, y'all. How in the world is it MAY? Before we know it, we'll have a lovely little hiatus from school work, strict schedules, and hopefully the monsoon season that has taken over my state. I'm so READY! :)



Since farmhouse fabulousness seems to be the name of the game lately, I was inspired to put together a fun grouping of features with that theme from last week's party. Seriously, I think we're all a little nuts about Chip and JoJo and the style that seems to be super fun and IT right now! Check out these goodies below.