Easy Spring Flowering Branches

  
Easy Spring Flowering Branches
If you're like me, you LOVE the look of flowering trees... those bare branches with the tiny, perfect flowers--no leaves to get in the way, just pretty perfection! However, I've tried cutting a few to bring into the house. Sometimes they are perfect and wonderful and last for days. Most times, though, they die quickly, are hard to work with and usually come with little "residents" in the form of spiders and other nasty visitors.

Solution? Make your own! It wasn't hard to find a few broken branches in our yard after a long, snowy winter. I went to the thrift store and bought a couple old bouquets of white flowers. They even came with some mossy grass that made a very nice faux bird nest! Some hot glue and voila! Spring has sprung!

Christmas at What's On My Porch

Hey all! The cold. The snow. And it's only November! Still, who can resist decorating for Christmas when it's so Christmasy outside?! I think this is the earliest our family has ever had our tree up!

We splurged on a real tree this year. I thought it was a GREAT idea until I remembered it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet. And somehow we'll have to keep this thing alive for another month and half. No idea how we'll keep it watered while we're out of town for Thanksgiving. Oh, the joys of wishful thinking.

When I decorate for Christmas, I like to do it ALL in a day. I make politely implore Hubby to drag up four or five boxes of "Christmas Stuff" from the deep, dark, spidery recesses of the Underhouse. Then I sift through it all, picking out items that will go with my theme (and a few favorites that always go up, theme or not). Once everything is up (5-6 hours later). I pack up the rest and send it back to the basement. At least, that's how it's supposed to work. The boxes are still upstairs for some reason.



This year's theme was "Woodland" but my daughter said it reminded her of the North Pole. So, now it's "North Pole Woods". Browse through these pics of my house for some Christmas inspiration! Enjoy!

A basket full of lights, balls, pinecones and bows is EASY and pretty!

Hang ornaments from a chandelier with some ribbon. The matching color unifies these so they're not too gaudy.

I cup up some old faux pine garland and made it into individual wreaths for all my windows!



Mini tree=thrift store. And "JOY" letters were purchased at Walmart and painted by ME! :)

Fill a wire basket with lights, faux pine garland, and mini-books and presents wrapped in vintage sheet music! So cute!

I made these graphic stockings myself. *Except the far left stocking, my youngest daughter made hers herself! You can see more about these here.

This little bird has made his way into our Christmas tree since my teenagers were babies!

My old "junk" ladder is all done up for Christmas!

An old silver tea set, mercury glass ornaments, pine boughs from our tree, cones, and a splash of red berries make a pretty centerpiece... all fit nicely into a shabby wood tray.

 

Everything in this picture was a secondhand purchase: tree, lantern, suitcase, bunny... even the cabinet and old window in the background. I LOVE thrift stores!

This bunny piggy bank is PERFECT for our North Pole Woodland theme!

Love Grows on Grandpa's Farm: Barnboard Sign

I've mentioned a few times that my dad lives on a farm. And I've also mentioned a few of the items I found while snooping around one day: wire baskets, galvanized buckets, old rusty chains. But my favorite item was this amazing piece of wood. 

It still had the remnants of rusty hinges and a lock attached. The wood was weathered, but tough. It just really reminded me of my dad. So I decided to keep it and make it into a kind of family heirloom that I hope will be passed down from generation to generation.

 

I decided to make it into a kind of family tree. On the back, I wrote the names of our family, starting with my Great-Grandma Rose whose parents came to America from Germany. She had lots of children, but I only wrote my grandmother's name: Dorothy. Dorothy, too, had many children--all my aunts and uncles, but I only listed my dad, Dave, and my mom, Audrey. After that I listed my husband and I and then our kiddos. I hope the tradition continues and names get added.

On the front I simply painted "Love Grows" which I thought was fitting in keeping with both the farm and family tree themes. 

Now, it just needs Hubby to add a chain to the back so I can hang it on the wall. I know this will be a cherished memory for my kiddos--one of which graduates from high school this year and the other turns sixteen. They have many years of fond memories on Grandpa's Farm, and I think this will be a beloved reminder of that as they grow up and begin families and memories of their own.

My girls are grown up now, but when they were little they enjoyed riding with Grandpa Dave on his tractor (and giving mom a heart attack for fear they would fall).

 

The girls loved the baby kittens.

 

Sisters could always find an adventure exploring grandpa's farm.

 

Our family at Grandpa Dave's farm along with Maggie the border collie.