DIY: Make Your Own Pom-Pom Plant

Super colorful right? Great table centerpiece, yes? Trust me, this is beyond simple to do. It will take minimal supplies and maybe 30 minutes of your time. Shall we talk about it then? Yes, lets!

Supplies Needed:

Container for arrangement (I used a small mason jar for this)
Floral block or styrofoam that will fit inside the base of your container
Multiple branches in varying heights appropriate to the size of your container
Colorful pompoms (I bought mine at Michaels)
Glue gun and glue sticks

First, select a container for your arrangement. I simply took a small mason jar that I had already painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I knew that I wanted a simple, small arrangement to sit on our dining room table so I wasn't going for a huge container.

Next, go into your yard/park/forest/what have you and gather some branches. Select branches based on the size of your container.

Third, get your branches and lay them out of the table. Snap off offending shoots if they don't contribute to your vision of how your arrangement is going to look. Place the styrofoam block at the base of your container and start arranging your branches.

Once you have everything arranged just the way you want it, it's time to fire up the glue gun!

Select the color story you are looking for with your pompoms. I knew that I wanted a multi colored arrangement so no color was off limit. You know how pussy willow bushes look? Here is a photo in the wild of what you are going for with your creation...








Start gluing your pompoms on at spacing that is pleasing to your eye.

Finally, stand back and admire your creation. Adorable, right?!

I used this arrangement not only for my dining room table but also for a baby shower for my niece. This would also be great as a little Christmas tree with small ornaments hanging from it.

Here is another view of my completed arrangement, complimented by my husband and son playing chess :)

BLOOM!

The mustard fields of Suisun Valley get me every single year. It is like the ground is on neon fire! I know that I say this a lot, but living in such a beautiful corner of the Bay Area provides me massive amounts of creative juices and I am grateful for it each day.

What is your favorite thing about where you live? Do you have neon mustard fields too?!

DIY: How to Refinish Your Dining Room Chairs

First off, you should know that this was my first attempt at refinishing wood chairs. This is basically me, telling you, that I am FAR from being an expert. With that out of the way, let's dive in!

Here are the chairs:



The one on the far right is the original chair with its original stain. When I took this picture, I had done only a light sanding with the palm sander but as you can see, there was still a ways to go.

The middle picture is after a full sanding with the palm sander. See that sander dust all over the chairs? Do this project outside - not worth the clean up inside, trust me.

After I got all of the chairs looking like this middle chair, I then applied a Miss Mustards Seed Milk Paint wash purchased at my local Annie Sloan stockist here in town called Patina Home and Garden. Patina has a wide range of Milk Paint products and the store owner talked me through what I needed to do to get these chairs looking the way I wanted.

After I applied that light wash, I let it dry completely. It didn't take long.

See the chair on the far left? This is how the finished product looks! I lightly sanded (just with sand paper) the milk paint wash and then sealed it with hemp oil. The wood absolutely glowed once I was finished. Without necessarily meaning to, this is the EXACT finish I was going for!

Finally, I sealed the wood seat with a clear poly and let it air dry for several days.

I highly recommend working with milk paint. This was my first go at it and I loved how easily it moved on the wood surface and how easily I was able to affect change with simple sand paper and hemp oil.

Give it a try!

Biggie and Smalls

You GUYS. 

I cannot believe I have never talked to you about my ridiculous fish. I didn't even want these fish but I adopted them from my son who grew tired of them. I don't know how long we have had them. Three years? Or has it been four years? They are goldfish for crying out loud and they are so temperamental I can't believe it. 

These things used to be the size of my thumb and now they are like small koi. They eat all the time. They get angry if I do not feed them three times a day. If I walk by the tank they follow me against the glass and if I ignore them (heaven forbid I do THAT) they jump up and flick their tails so that the water sloshes. If I sing high notes they go crazy in the tank. I don't think they ever sleep. Recently my husband was like, " I think they are outgrowing the tank" which is ridiculous because we are on our third tank. So today I bought them a new home and fixed it up and yada yada and now they are happy. Their names used to be Fish and Fish. But then when I stared at them today their new names came to me: Biggie and Smalls. Biggie Smalls.

I like them. Don't tell them.

Lovely Living Room

The light in our living room is so lovely. I recently moved these World Market curtains from our master bedroom down to the living room and I love it. Why didn't I do this years before? The couch is still holding strong (which says a lot when there are at least 6 people using it every day) on year 3. The vintage quilt is a staple. It is totally falling apart and I need to mend it...but...whatever. The pillows are from World Market and TJ Maxx and maybe a few other places that now slip my mind? All in all, this is a cozy spot.

Pompom Garland

One of my favorite stores in the Bay Area is located on 4th Street in Berkeley and is called Nest (sadly there is no website for this location). There is an additional location in San Francisco, but the Berkeley location is my favorite. Recently I stopped in and found this delightful tin full of a rainbow colored pompom garland goodness.

 


 Everyone needs a multi colored pompom garland in their lives. I promptly purchased said garland and hung it between the opening of my kitchen and living room.



 
So pretty.