Cork Place Card Holders for the Holidays

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?  If you are still in need of a cute idea for place cards, maybe give this one a shot.



It's super easy, although you will want to be VERY careful.  Simply make a slit in a cork with a box-cutter or exacto-knife.  I found it helpful to make a very shallow cut initially and then dig deeper to make the groove both deeper and slightly wider.

To prop them up, you can glue them to something heavy-ish and flat, or just do what I did:

Two tacks pushed in the back at a slight angle will keep your guests from rolling around your table while you're trying to feast.

Voila!  This project took me about 30 minutes max.  Let's eat!

Seeking Beauty in...Small Things

The greenway near my house.

Recently I was here talking about the way God has been calling me to seek beauty in the everyday. You might be wondering what exactly that means, beyond noticing actual beautiful objects in the world around us.  Yes, I am into beauty for its aesthetic value, or else I wouldn't get all foolish over Target's Christmas section.  Gorgeous.

But what I really mean when I talk about seeking beauty in the everyday is this: catching a glimpse of the holy.  Catching a glimpse of God's face here on earth, experiencing his peace in the midst of turmoil, turning my ear toward his voice.

How?  Well I have quite a few thoughts about that, too many for one blog post.  But for now I just want to talk about seeking beauty in the small things.  Most of our lives are spent in small moments. Preparing meals, caring for babies, cleaning house, working at jobs we may or may not love.  What I want to say is that these moments, be they boring or irritating or simply required, are the gist of our lives.  I'm one to fall into the trap of waiting on that next big vacation, promotion, or celebration...looking so much forward to it that I discount what's right in front of me.  But God didn't place me in one long vacation of a life.  He placed me in a life of small moments, and every single one is brimming with potential.

So I'm trying: when I fold the laundry, to enjoy the smell of it.  The accomplishment of another load washed and folded.  The feel of the fabric in my hands.

I'm trying: when the kids are a wall of noise, to revel in their giggles instead of focusing on their volume.

I'm trying: when the dog is bonkers and needs a walk, to notice what's beautiful about that walk. Appreciate the exercise.  Enjoy the repetition of the same old route.

I'm trying: when everyone wants to eat yet again and usually just when I cleaned up the kitchen, to at least give a brief "thank you" that we have plentiful food and multiple ways to prepare it.

I suppose this has something to do with mindfulness.  Lots of people have written about that practice. My specific inspiration is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which says "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  Always means always.  Every moment, big or small.  Every moment, happy or sad.  Every moment, pained or healthy.  (That last one is a real thorn in my side.  Also cleaning toilets.  I hate cleaning toilets.)

So if you give this a try today please let me know your thoughts about it.  And if you figure out how to rejoice in cleaning toilets, you must let me know!

Paris, Je t'Aime

Paris, je t'aime.

My words are few, but my heart is breaking.

Praying today for the citizens of this most beautiful of cities, those who live there, and for everyone impacted by the violence Friday.

Restoration Hardware Knockoff: Twinkly Light Holiday Display

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine.  For more information, please visit my Disclosures page.

I just l-o-v-e the image on the front of the new Restoration Hardware catalog:

Photo: Restoration Hardware

Gorgeous gold hurricanes filled with twinkly lights...oh most definitely yes.  The only issue?  To purchase one vase of each size and two of the shortest twinkly light strands from RH you would spend $174.  And that's before tax and shipping.  So of course I did it on the cheap and here is my version:

The best part?  They only cost $25!  Here's the breakdown:

Small hurricane: $4.19

Large hurricane: $5.99

(Both from A.C. Moore on sale for 40% off)

Rustoleum Metallic spray paint: $2.74
(From A.C. Moore using 50% off coupon)

Twinkly Lights: $12.50 for two

(From amazon...hereis the link for the ones I bought)
Total: $25.42

Want to try it yourself?  Here are some tips to help you out.  Start at the top of where your gold paint should fade out. Take several quick, even passes as you rotate your hurricane vase, making sure to keep your spray paint at least 6" away from the glass.  Continue to rotate as you work your way to the bottom of the hurricane, allowing the paint to go on slightly thicker as you go.  Allow to dry for a few minutes, then spray just the bottom couple of inches, until the paint is opaque.  You should end up with a nice faded or ombre effect.

What they look like with the lights off...still cute!

A peek inside.

Just in time to get you in the mood for Christmas decorating.

The main difference with mine is that I couldn't find amber lights for cheap on amazon, so mine are warm white.  I was willing to live with that, but you could always pick up the lights from Restoration and DIY your hurricanes; you will still save money and have that pretty amber light.

You could save even more money by purchasing hurricane vases at Dollar Tree.  Either way, let me know if you try it!




P.S. Lovin' the Linky's at:

Home Stories A to Z

A Stroll Thru Life

Coastal Charm

Seeking Beauty in the Everyday

Today it's the sound of rain blasting down from the heavens and beating on the deck outside; on the glass tabletop, on the galvanized tub that's been out there for three months, on the old wood decking. The other day it was meeting an elderly married couple at a nursing home for my son's Service Learning field trip.  The husband is 91 years old.  His wife visits him there every. single. day.  Most days, it's the natural world in some from or another proclaiming God's glory with every growing thing, every turning leaf, every impossible color.  Also most days, it's my boys' giggles, their funny vocabularies, something they say or do or learn.

Honestly, I am crazed and crazy most of the time.  All twitchy-eyed from listening to the dog bark at nothing all day, all irritable at the bill I missed paying, all grouchy at the kid who is continually falling off his kitchen stool.  I know your pants are slippery but please just stop trying to break yourself.  I aint perfect and I know it.  There's a lot of stuff at which I do not excel.

If there is one thing I am good at, it's finding beauty in the everyday, mundane moments that add up to hours and days and years and life. It's how I'm wired, how I cope, and what I do.  It's why my instagram feed is full of shots of nature. It's why I have a soft spot for poetry.  It's why I love decorating my home and reading about other people decorating theirs.  It's why I have literally filmed sunlight on a white blanket.

I love that stuff.

Love that verse from Ecclesiastes also.  Interestingly, Ecclesiastes 3:11 doesn't stop there but says in its entirety:

He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

We can never fully comprehend our mighty God, but how interesting that he "set eternity" in our hearts--he created us to long for him and the beautiful story he is writing for us and this world. In this life we cannot fully know that story, but I love the idea that maybe we can catch glimpses.  And I love the idea that those glimpses come in the midst of the humble, everyday moments of our lives.

So, that's the project God has called me to in this season. Seeking beauty in the everyday.  Figuring out how to see it, how to appreciate it, how to share it.  Join me, won't you?  You can see where we go here, on Facebook, on Pinterest and on Instagram.