Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!!

We recently celebrated birthdays for both of our kiddos. Sawyer turned 4 and Rawley turned 1. This post is to help open your eyes to ways that you can create a fun, creative birthday cake without being a Wilton Cake Decorating Genuis! (Think scrapbook paper flowers, craft letters covered in glitter, 90% off Christmas decorations, etc.) These cakes both got great reactions from the kids-- which is what it's all about!

This is the "And Eat it Too" part!! Yikes:)

Plaque You Won't Need a Dentist For!

Below are some fun ways to use simple unfinished wood plaques. Most of the ideas involve scrapbook paper, black craft paint and sandpaper. Let your imagine run wild with more creative ideas using plaques in your own home!

Add your own personal photos for a custom look.

How about making coasters or a wall full of different sized plaques with family pictures and silhouettes? The possibilities are endless--and inexpensive!!

On the Bench!!

I have a thing for built-in benches. Something about them makes me imagine curling up on a rainy morning with my Bible and coffee and "Being Still." Oh...wait...was that a cry...maybe he'll find his pacifier...quiet...quiet...waaaaahhhhh! Nice thought.

Maybe I'll just look at some of my favorite PICTURES of cozy corners. Actually, this is a wonderful season to be in as a mom. There will always be time for rain and coffee...However, now is always the season for the Word!

Eye Candy from Mockingbird Manor

If you live in or near Oklahoma City, you must visit Mockingbird Manor on Western Ave. I took these pictures recently during a window shopping trip with my sister. It's always much more fun to go with someone else who appreciates turquoise antlers as much as yourself! Enjoy!

A Guest Post Worth Reading!

I firmly believe that our lives reflect our homes and our homes reflect our lives. When I am feeling my best, my home shows it and when my home is looking disheveled, it shows in me and other areas of my life. Is caring about a well kept home frivolous? Is it unnecessary and does it mean I am focusing on unimportant things in my life? I don't think so. I think that caring about my home, the place my family shares love and laughter, needs to be a place that we're all comfortable and enjoy being in.

A home doesn't have to be big to be beautiful, or even as The Nester loves to tell us, it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. You know what it does need to be? A reflection of you. The real, true, authentic you. You can gaze at photos on blogs and in magazines all day long and think about how nice it would all be, if only your house were bigger, you had more money, or time to do it all. Or you can look around you and realize that the most important thing isn't having a home that is ready for it's closeup in a magazine spread but is practical and beautiful to you.

Most of our homes won't ever win awards, be in a magazine or make us famous. But they're all beautiful in their unique ways - just like us. Home is where our families are. Where memories are made. Where kids play. Where tears are shed. Where meals are made. Those are the things that matter more than the size of a house or the things that are in it. We make our houses home by being there, living authentically and being warm and inviting to those who visit. We make our house a home by lighting candles at night, wrestling in the living room with our kids, and making messes in the kitchen.

To read more from this post, check out www.nestingplacenc.blogspot.com

Plates--They're Not Just for Eating Anymore!

A while back I found this picture of an amazing wall of plates. I liked everything about it--the randomness of the plates and the organic arrangement. When we moved into our home I had the perfect wall to try this out for myself. I arranged and rearranged for days--trying to be at peace with an asymmetrical layout. I could NOT wrap my brain around it! Finally, I ditched the idea that it had to be random and realized that my brain likes symmetry. This is how my version of a wall of plates turned out.

A Romantic Kitchen for Valentine's Day

I love this kitchen for several reasons. I love the mix of old with new, sparkle on the chandelier with rough rock walls and of course all of the patterns mixed together in the wallpaper and fabrics. If ever a kitchen looked romantic--I'd say this one fits the bill. Happy Valentine's Day!

Welcome to Our Home

Welcome! I am an interior designer by heart and have created this blog not only to showcase my work but also to share projects, ideas and inspiration for your own home. Someone once told me that you know you've found your passion when you look up from what you've been doing and have lost track of time. I've been losing track of time for years when it comes to decorating and creating--beginning with frequent rearrangings of my bedroom at the age of 10! I hope you enjoy following my blog as much as I've enjoyed creating it for you. Come on in!

This bench sits in my entryway along with a few pillows--look quickly they could be different the next time you step inside! Notice the photo pillow. Below is a closer look with a few easy instructions for creating your own.

1. Find 4 digital photos to use for your pillow.

2. For a 16" pillow, resize each image so that the shortest side on each picture is 8.5" You can crop the picture into a square once it's printed.

3. Print each image onto a piece of iron-on transfer paper. (Don't forget to click mirror image.)

4. Iron each image onto a 17" x 17" piece of white cotton making sure images touch on all for center edges.

5. Sew the fabric for the back of the pillow to the photo front. Fill with a 16" pillow form and stitch such.

Now that you're in, you might as well stay a while! Make yourself at home. I'll be back soon with more photos and project ideas!

Coming Soon!

More photos, ideas and inspiration coming from The Rearranged Home! Check back soon for our new blog!