If You Can't Buy It, Make It

Remember that Pottery Barn wreath I posted about a while back while dreaming of spring decor? I didn't buy it. But, I made my own version and I'm quite happy with it! And, in case your door is looking a little drab, here's a little how- to:

What you'll need:



Twig wreath ($6.99 from Hobby Lobby)

Glue Gun (heavy duty one from Home Depot)

Assorted Faux Eggs, Feathers, Bird Nest, Assorted Floral Stems, and inexpensive wire 

First, hot glue some feathers and the eggs into the bird nest (remember to put only an odd number of eggs in the nest - it just looks better).

Next attach the nest to the twig wreath with the wire. Last, stick the floral stems into the wreath around the nest and any other place you think needs a little extra love. I just stuck the stems in and they stayed, but if you have trouble, you can wire them into the wreath or use hot glue to secure them. I only used greenery on my wreath (since that's what they did at PB), but if you want to use floral stems, go for it!

There it is hanging on our front door!

Just leave a comment if you have any questions! It really is THAT easy to get the Pottery Barn look... and it doesn't have to be as hard on your wallet! Hope you enjoyed this post, and happy crafting!

~ Mari

Oh Pottery Barn...

... how I covet the beautiful things that you sell. For some reason my Pottery Barn catalog got lost in the mail. I'm not happy about it. But, luckily, the world wide web has helped me through my ordeal. Though it isn't the same as paging through the beauty that is a Pottery Barn catalog, their website has some great new goodies for Spring.

You know about my small obsession with birds, nests, and all things aviary.

Apparently Pottery Barn shares my feelings.

Pottery Barn's new thing is "found" items (aka "stuff that we found in estate sales or antique stores that we are now passing off as our own"). How awesome are these old pharmacy bottles?

Yeah. I love them.

Again - I love me some birdies.

I picture this on our coffee table.

Sigh. I love this stuff. Maybe one day I'll be able to afford it. :)

~ Mari

Ugly Little Cuties

We've got babies! No, not the human kind - the feathered (well, fuzzied) kind. Our mommy bluebird was quite busy building her nest for weeks.. and then we looked in there and 5 precious little blue eggs were nestled down in the straw.

And guess what's in there now?

They're so ugly that they're adorable! Their little gray eyes haven't even opened... and their balding. I mean, how cute can you get, right?

Hopefully we can get more pics as they get older (and less ugly)!

Yay for Spring!

~Mari

Spring Spruce-Up

It has poured all day today. Not cool. So, in defiance of the weather, I've decided to post some photos of ways to spruce-up one's home for springtime! In the photo above, I planted an African Violet (Lowe's $5.99) in a giant red cup and saucer (T.J. Maxx $4.99). Then I put some candy sticks (Cracker Barrel 40 cents a piece) in a little glass container (Goodwill 50 cents) and placed a little container of fake raspberries (Michaels $2.99) on a cool tray (Hobby Lobby $7.00). Instant springtime feeling in the kitchen!

Above is a picture of Ryan and my dining room table (not that anyone can enjoy it... we have no chairs yet) ready for Easter! I used our "fancy" plates with some French napkins as placemats. That green mossy stuff is...well...green moss! You can buy it at craft stores and it just rolls out like a table runner (which is what I used it for)! Then I used some white ceramic bunny napkin rings to hold the cheap little pastel napkins from the grocery store. I found some really neat little votive holders at Anthropologie (my most favoritest store ever) - on sale, of course - and put some eggs I found at T. J. Maxx in them and... voila! Instant egg cups! For the centerpiece, I used a bunny statue, a little bunny soap dish (full of eggs), and a dome with a bird's nest under it. I'm quite pleased with how it came out! Too bad we can't eat our Easter meal on it... (again, no chairs)!

Finally, this photo is here at my parent's house in the G-burg. I love this little display on a side table near our family dining table. We just took some china plates and put them on a plate stand, added a nest (from T.J. Maxx), some cool vintage glasses (one filled with acorns), some dried pomegranates, and put it all on a vintage silver tray!

Spring is in the air.... time to spruce!

~ Mari