Sharing the Love with some Feathered Friends

Is it just us folks with small kids that seem to drag out every holiday and celebrate for days or weeks ahead of time to milk every ounce of fun out of it?  I don't remember being so "holiday themed" crazy before becoming a mommy.  So much so that the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years events with two little wild men seemed to wear me out and leave me a bit uninspired after prepping and decorating every square inch of our little space we call home.  But alas, I digress, and I am back to my old tricks with a fun family craft that's both green, and good for your hungry feathered friends. 

It's easy.  It can be SO VERY MESSY!  Do as I say and not as I do, it's for your own good, trust me.  If at all possible I'd put these Valentine Bird Feeders together outside, and far away from the reach of helping husbands who are bound to knock the teeny tiny seeds all over your kitchen and breakfast area.  If you can keep your toddlers from eating all of the bird seed than it's a fun Valentine's Day themed craft to do that won't take much time and my two and a half year old seemed thrilled to do.  Of course, he loves the little birdies in our yard.  They are his friends, so he was super excited when I stole this idea from one of his Highlights magazines as a fun thing for us to share, and to add a little decoration outside.  He informed me tonight that we were also to make one for his favorite golfing buddy Mr. Bill, so if you see him, don't spill the bird seed, it's a surprise. 

His plan is a good one; these sweet little bird feeders would make cute do-it-yourself gifts and they are inexpensive and will hopefully bring more birds by our windows during play time.

What do you need? 

• card board
• Crisco
• bird seed
• ribbon
• hole punch

We used part of an old cardboard diaper box and luckily had a ton of Crisco on hand.  An adult should cut out heart shapes from the card board and hole punch where you'll want to tie your ribbon.  Spread a LOT of Crisco onto your cardboard heart and sprinkle on bird seed.  Don't be shy with the Crisco because that is what holds the seeds on.  And don't be surprised if little hands smear Crisco all over the place!!!  Flip it over and coat the other side with Crisco and then seeds, tie them up with a ribbon and your done.  See, easy.  Messy.  Which equals big fun with the kiddos. 

 If you try this and find a way to make the ribbons less messy, please share it with me in the comments section.  This was our first try at these bird feeder hearts and my son truly loved it but I would like to find a way to make them cuter, especially if we are going to be handing them out as gifts.  If you like this idea, please, share the love with your friends, feathered or not.

Quick Tiip Tuesday: Wrap it up and Save

Are you feeling a little overwhelmed from all of your decorating during this season of joy and over indulgence? It seems like year after year at this time, as the pressure to get everything decorated and all of the presents purchased mounts, both the money in my wallet and my enthusiasm for lights and knick-knacks starts to drain away. Don't get me wrong I love the holidays, just not the feeling of buyer’s remorse when I feel like I am poor at the end of the year. Well, no more friends! Okay, it's a hard habit to break, so I will admit I did have to pick up a few odds and ends this year but it was definitely on a budget. During these tough economic times we all need to start thinking about re-using and re-purposing items we already have. Today I want to share a pretty inexpensive way to make your home merrier.

Let's get merry on a miser’s budget.

What do you need? Photo frames and wall art that you already have up on the walls or lying around unused in your attic, preferably inexpensive items that won’t get damaged by a little tape. Last years wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, bells, etc.

What are we going to do with this stuff? Wrap up those old frames in your unused wrapping paper. Slap on a bow, or a ribbon, or a few bells, pinecones; whatever strikes your fancy and stick it back up on the wall, the bookshelf or an end table. Use items that will enhance your space but still make it feel like you live there. It will add a little charm and help it to feel more festive but without having to go out and buy more decorations.

Cost? It depends on you. If you save paper and ribbons from year to year, it should cost very little, or nothing at all. You don't need to wrap the whole picture, just anything you can see. You can add double-sided foam tape to ribbons to make them stick to your new artwork and so that you can reuse them again later. If you are a bit on the compulsive side (yes, that's me) you may want to have paper and ribbons that match your current decor and you may have to buy that once and save it for next year but even then it will save you money because you can cover a lot of picture frames with a roll of paper. But (note to self!) some of the best displays are the ones that are not so matchy, matchy.

I bet if you are like me you have a few gifts to get under the tree, so what's a few more "gifts" for your walls? Happy wrapping everyone!

Who am I? What am I doing? Why am I here?

Okay, maybe "Why am I here?" is a bit too philosophical. Though I do want to tell you a little about this southern girl and what I hope to do with this blog. It seems like we all have only a few great passions in life. For me, those passions include my family, our home, and real estate in general really, entertaining, and writing.

As a child I kept a journal which turned into journals and then an education in journalism and mass communications. This turned into a desire to work in advertising. That desire led me to a mid-size ad agency in a mid-size banking town that was having a huge real estate boom. Being the daughter of an engineer who grew up walking project sites and roaming around in one of the South's most charming destination cities it came as no small surprise when I realized I loved real estate too. Though I had a true passion for advertising, I couldn't afford to live on my salary, so I jumped ship when presented the opportunity to work for one of the largest semi-custom builders in the nation.

I loved it! It was such an educational experience. In learning how quality houses are constructed but more so in how to turn those houses into homes for the people who were building them. It was so satisfying to walk the finished home with all the colors and design choices that went into making it more than just brick and stone. Alas, that real estate boom ended, thus effecting my wallet once more, and now here I am.

Why do I call this "A Southern Girls Guide to a Happy Home"? Why not just a "girls guide"? Why "a happy home"? First, I am from the South, and believe where you come from can affect how you see the world, your sense of style, and your mannerisms, so I feel like that will help to explain my point of view and the projects that I want to share with you. Realizing that a happy home may imply something to do with marriage I want to clarify that this blog is about the actual home not necessarily the people within the dwelling itself. For me having a happy home means I feel a little less chaos in my chaotic life with two boys under the age of three and can think more clearly.

What is a happy home? Again, for me, a clean one(to a reasonable degree; I do have two busy children after all) that smells good and feels inviting...even when I am not expecting guest. Warm lighting, and music playing in the background as my boys and I have our morning milk and coffee or start impromptu dance parties when the mood strikes.

What do I hope to accomplish with this blog? I want to share some of the knowledge I've gathered along the way. Tidbits like how to add warmth and charm to a home that may be a little bland, adding value to your home with small inexpensive changes when you are preparing to sell it, and just everyday "hmmm that's a good idea" type of information. I'll also be sharing recipes and entertaining ideas, small construction projects, quick tips to help you out around the home and maybe a few laughs.



I have wanted to do this for quite some time and I hope it gives you more than you had before. So please, stay with me, send me feed back and hopefully I'll share with you something that you didn't already know.