Happy Monday all! I haven't posted for a really long time but wanted to post some fun recipes for Holiday essential oil blends and tips for staying healthy with essential oils this winter season

First of all I want to share my go to for when I  have cold and flu symptoms:
I like to make a bath with Lavender essential oil, Eucalyptus essential oil, baking soda and epsom salt
I just run a hot bath and put one T. epsom salt, 1 T. baking soda, 2 drops lavender and 1 drop eucalyptus. This is a great mix to detoxify, relax, and open up sinuses. I like to do this bat at bedtime to help me get a good nights sleep. I will also run a mix of 3 drops lavender and 1 drop eucalyptus in my diffuser close to my bed.

I also wanted to share my new favorite holiday blend of essential oils for the diffuser that's really getting me motivated to get my Christmas on!

3 drops sweet orange essential oil
2 drops cinnamon essential oil
1 drop of clove essential oil

Not only does this make my house smell amazing the stimulating action of these oils helps to keep my energy levels up!

Happy Holidays
everyone

xo- Melissa

farmhouse-ish style

 Farmhouse-ish Style 

I have a hard time discerning between what elements I use that are considered "farmhouse" and which ones are considered "cottage." I guess my style is just considered "eclectic." I am not sure exactly what that means either- I just know what I like and I make it work! I definitely like a lot of white and  neutrals.(much like my wardrobe) This post was inspired by:

 I posted the above picture some months ago on my facebook saying how cute it is- i found it on Pinterest, of course....

 Fast forward to last week and my lifelong friend Jen shows up with a gift for me! She made a set for me and a set for herself! I think she did an amazing job, dont you?

 I had other things on this table and had been wanting to switch it up- so perfect timing since I needed

to make a spot for these cuties! My dad makes these beautiful tables from old barn wood- he usually uses large fence post logs for the legs-but he customized this one for me. I just adore white! The jars I had upcycled and featured in a previous post, I formerly had these jars as a centerpiece on my dining room table. My dad also made the cool piece above the table. I sent him a photo of something similar I had seen online or in a magazine- and poof! he made it for me! He's so talented!

(I will show you the cool wine glass holder he made me sometime)

 My friend Judy got me both the birdcage and the frame as gifts. I again,  had these  items in other places then put them together for this Vignette. Lots of times, "redecorating" for me is just re- arranging or reusing things I already have in a different way. Here's a closer view of the goods  I used for this look:

I loved being on the hunt for baskets that I thought would  fit in with the look I was trying to create.

I hope you liked  my latest post! I am always inspired by others decorating ideas- please leave comments or share pictures of your decorating/crafting inspirations!

Getting back to my heart- ART

It has been tough these days to make time for my true love- the essence of my existence-ART- kids/work/marriage are all a valued part of me but oh how my heart longs to create---to blog and talk about art in all its form to create things from my bare hands---

So ----i decided to take baby steps- small attainable goals- and one of those goals was to submit artwork to Stampington again- Much to my surprise and delight they published the first item i have submitted in literally years- 

I answered their "bleach challenge" for their publication Altered Couture- It was so fun to get back into that creative space-

 

above is the shirt/dress/tank that  i created

I like to call it gypsy couture

a little romantic

a little grunge---

and a lot of love in my heart!

AND here it is! 

you can find the full article in the issue below

there are some really fun pieces in this issue

and i am so grateful and happy to be back on this 

creative path

even if its just a little bit at a time!

 

upcycled centerpiece

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THESE JARS AND CANS I HAVE BEEN HANGING ON TO?

Here's what I did with the glass jars at least!

I thoroughly cleaned the jars and removed the labels-

 I highly recommend goo-gone to remove the labels with ease- love this stuff! 

I painted them with several coats of regular old white acrylic paint-

 I know chalk paint is all the rage- but I didn't have any at the time!  

When the jars were completely dry-

( I waited a full 24 hours) I just roughed these up with some fine sandpaper

 This was the most fun part-

 going through my stash and finding what I wanted to embellish with!

I am beyond thrilled with the way they turned out!

I have been wanting a simple centerpiece for my dining room for a while 

& these jars are going to add just the right touch

 vintage linen +

 

 pretty mirrored tray+

  the jars!

 Can you even stand the level of adorable happening here?

 I just love it when it all comes together

and the best part? money spent= $0- everything was stuff I already had!

Next up-

what to do with all those cans?

Have a thrifty day everyone!

Inspired By Love

 

Inspired By Love

I am so excited about my new spring collection of jewels!

anyone who knows me, knows of my love for all things with hearts

I am a blatant sucker for romance- so the symbol of a heart

holds near and dear to me

these beauties started out on a whim just for fun- then became my new signature item for spring

I first create hearts  from upcylced wool

then attach to a lovely pendant with much adhesive and glitter

I present to you  just some of my La Coeur(French for the heart)  collection:

 

 

My sweet friend miss Lydia Kerr- requested a set with earrings

so now I am happy to have recently added these cute and petite wool heart earrings

can be purchased as sets or individually

and I can custom make them in pretty much any color!

 

 I am also having fun experimenting  with different sizes and shapes of pendants and hearts

 

 what would hearts be without a key to them-

 Its so much fun integrating my love of junk into my jewelry!

music that inspires my creativity:

I'm not who I was- Brandon Heath

 

"I write about love and such, Maybe cause I want it so much."

-Brandon Heath

 

I HEART VALENTINE'S DAY 2015 edition

I try to fancy myself a strong and sensible woman but something about a holiday dedicated to romance, love and affection gives me the warm and fuzzies! I think I decorate as much for this beloved holiday as I do for Christmas- here are a few highlights I wanted to share-

 

 

seriously- this uber cute banner- $3 yes $3 at Target!

 

 sickeningly sweet? I beg to differ!

 

 

 lovely milk glass- all dressed up and ready for love

 

 

 I made most of these hearts myself- except for the lovely vintage pincushion in the back

 

decorated spools of thread atop these pretty candleholders my

 dad made just for me and my love of white

 

I love love and hope all who are reading this have

a warm and romantic Valentine's Day this year

 

The Bitch is Back and other ponderings

The Bitch is back... and other ponderings---
- to be honest- I took a break for a while-
for many reasons---
while dealing with many challenging life changes I have had over the past year
including my daughter getting married
and expecting a baby in April- good things-
my sweet little Hugh starting his first day of Kindergarten-
getting divorced and downsizing from the
beautiful house of my dreams
to a 952 square foot condo-
and re-entering the work force
and I am gonna be honest- I don't do change well
when I was 6 my mom gave me a huge surprise one day
she completely redecorated my room while I was gone to school for the day
guess what? I cried- I wanted my old stuff back!
That's me.
and there is nothing so sure in life as change-
I have found myself challenged to get through regular daily tasks-
let alone engage in the creative process-
but all is not lost---- there is always the light at the end of the tunnel!
and I am happy to say....
THE BITCH IS BACK
Which leads me to this Elton John song that always makes me smile
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhyuj7Qdcz8


full of creativity and tons of fun ideas to fill up the pages of my blog!
so thanks to all of my friends and family who have been here supporting and loving me through lifes ups and downs
this bitch is back and better than ever!!!!
 

Leap of Faith

LEAP OF FAITH!!!!!

soooooooo I finally bit the bullet!!!!! $99 on sale at Joann fabrics and I took the plunge!

I am gonna learn to use a sewing machine in 2014!!! I have this long standing fear of sewing machine failure-Thanks to my middle school home ec. teacher!!!! and I decided its time to move on!

 ok- its still in the box- but I will conquer my fears and take that leap of faith into my future- so much i want to do!!!!

 AND HERE IS AN AMAZING PLACE TO START:

www.monaluna.com

I am smitten with their beautiful fabrics and patterns...

and one of my new favorite bloggers and shops www.imaginegnats.com

this is her meridian pattern- love <3

 and so I start my sewing adventure.... wish me luck!!!!

just a quickie-blog post that is-my latest obsession----

Just a quickie...

blog post that is...

One of my favorite shops is now carrying my jewelry, purses and other goodies! 

These are the one of a kind Valentine's day Earrings I created from

taking apart a vintage charm bracelet

and they are a steal for just $10 a pair!!!

check out these and lots of other fun finds at 

ONE VINTAGE LANE

1138 west maple street unit c

Hartville,Ohio

call 330 -877- 3411

for questions, directions, store hours etc...

love you Lori Compton!!!!

and now I present to you.....

my latest obsession! these  lil' mini strainers,

 and tea strainers stole my heart-

 and these lovely vintage cookie cutters...

I found this cute one with a teapot on it at my favorite shop here in Medina

PERFECTLY CHARMING

and it is everything its name indicates!  If you are ever near Medina Ohio check it out

@248 S. Court St Medina Ohio 330-723-5080

Great prices- and a wide variety of merchandise- new and old!

 and the cookie cutters....can you blame me?

 I am way into making things from scratch these days-

 including our own crackers-

 these beauties are the perfect thing for making them not only tasty but attractive!!!

my shelf- I am lovin this vignette-

 touches of color in a neutral color scheme is my new favorite-

hope everyone has a wonderful weekend in store for them

 thanks for stopping by ! 

feel free to share your latest  obsession in the comments! :)

THE KIDS

thought we should start with the reasons I am a mom. Sierra my 16 year old(who is gonna love that i posted this picture, after all what teenage girl doesnt want such a flattering photo of themselves posted on the internet for the whole world to see!?!?) on the left is Brady the 5 year old and Hugh, the 3 year old. This photo was taken at one of our favorite breakfast spots, Panera....= coffee(or as i call it, the elixir of life) for mom, cinnamon crunch bagel for the kiddos....we took them out before Brian and i escaped for the first night ALONE, OVERNIGHT, BY OURSELVES in 10, yes i said 10 years!!!!! as you can see they were gonna miss us very much! We went to the most lovely Inn, Tara, a country inn in PA. although I am not quite sure we knew how to act in all that peace and quiet....there was a lot of sleeping, doing nothing and soaking in the hot tub in our room....i missed the kids like crazy, the time away was great, but being home was better! remind me of this sometime during future rantings about how they are driving me crazy.... <heart> all three of my babies

Bradys Turtle Book

Bradys Turtle Book

     
   Brady found some pictures of Turtles he liked in an add in one of my magazines. So, I decided it would be fun to let him practice with his scissors, which then transpired into the idea of having him make a mini art book! I found some oversized index cards to glue the turtle images to, it was important that i let him do all the work himself! After he made a seperate card for each turtle, I set him free with some colored pencils to do his own artwork on each page. I spelled out the word turtle for him to copy,( as he cant fully read and spell yet) and he decorated a cover. I then showed him how to punch holes so we could hook them together to form a book. I tied the cards together with some string and voila! his own turtle artwork book!!!!