Sweet and Simple Redecorating with CozyWallArt

This fall has been a BUSY time in my little studio, making hair bows until my finger prints wear burn off.  I've found the white walled room a little stark though, isolating and uninspiring as I worked at my table facing the blank wall.  Small improvements were made - a candle, more lights, my tablet occasionally propped on the table streaming netflix for some company.

I knew there were many improvements to make, but I simply didn't have the time for a DIY creative solution and needed something simple but somewhat large to fill the empty wall space.

I was thrilled then, to be offered the opportunity to try a beautiful piece of wall art from CozyWallArt.com!  When browsing the site, I came across an image I absolutely fell in love with the Birds Resting on Ribbon Wall Decal.

With three birds sitting together, it reminded me of my own two little "birds" and me - smiling together with hearts full of love.  It also is a reminder of one of my favorite songs to sing to my kids - Way Up High by DidiPop which tells the tale of love birds who meet in the trees and start a happy family together.  So this wall decal was just perfect for us!

I thought installing the piece would be more of a challenge - but it was really SO simple!  It came with great instructions that made the process super simple.

The decal is backed with two sheets of paper backing on both sides. So first, (after lightly washing the wall with a wet rag) we lined tacked the decal to the wall using painters tape.  Using a level, we made sure that our image was straight and right where we wanted it to be.

With a larger piece of tape in the center, we removed the thicker backing between the decal and the wall on one half of our wall art.  Starting from the center and working outward, we used a credit card to press out all the bubbles and ensure the graphic stuck to the wall.  Next,we did the other half.

Finally, we removed the protective thin paper backing on the other side of the image - and that was it!  The whole process took us about 20 minutes and went off without a hitch.

I absolutely adore the end result.  While we could have chosen any color for our image, I think the red on white just looks perfect for this project.  While I think it was much easier with two people, this project could even be done alone in a pinch.  We chose the large (47" x 20") size since we had such a large open space, but with a variety of sizes, theirs bound to be the perfect size for your project!

Isn't this just adorable?  We even decided that the bird on the left must be Julie, is just excited about life with her hands in the air.  I just know this image will offer me the warmth of family and a sweet source of inspiration as I sit crafting away in my studio.

CozyWallArt.com is offering a special coupon offer for our readers.  Enter the code TakeswithTwo20 during checkout and receive 20% off all products.  What a special idea for a Christmas gift or for someone decorating a new baby's nursery!  Act fast though, the coupon code expires December 30, 2013.

Thanks so much to Cozy Wall Art for allowing us to review such a beautiful piece of wall art!  We are so excited to share that they're offering one of our readers the chance to win a $75 gift code to choose their own piece of wall art!

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Happy Halloween!

It's officially Halloween and we've been having a blast celebrating the season already.  Just wanted to share a quick glimpse of some of the ways we've celebrated!

We celebrated with our awesome playdate group for a super fun Halloween Party!

We painted pumpkins (and ourselves) to add a little color to our day.

We visited Triple B Farms and LOVED sliding on their slides, visiting the animals and the pumpkin scarecrows.

We baked and decorated and ate Halloween Cupcakes!

We rode through our neighborhood to participate in the community Halloween Parade.

We visited Simons Farm and went Apple Picking.

And of COURSE - we went to the pumpkin farm!  Check back from pictures from that too - as soon as I locate the memory card.  oops!

Simple Halloween Decorations

It's hard to believe Halloween is almost here!  We're really starting to get into decorating for holidays since the babies are old enough to get excited.  Just thought I'd share a few of our favorites that make our home a little more "halloweenie!"

These little guys are two large pom-poms (or pom-pons depending on your dialect) glued together - pipe cleaner legs, googly eyes and upholstery thread string.  We hang these from our kitchen "chandelier" above the kids' high chairs for some spooky dining buddies! 

We love these cutout bats from Martha Stewart!  I bought the set last year but believe there's a DIY option somewhere.  I'll be sure to update if I can find the link!  These are on our back sliding door and I love the silhouette it makes.

This cutie spider was made courtesy of my friend Sarah at a Girl Scout event.  Made from a silver pot scrubber and soldering wire - these are super cute, easy and even look kinda elegant!  You can find instructions to this easy Halloween craft idea here!  

My mom gave me this lovely apothecary jar for my birthday gift.  I placed a white pillar candle inside to take up some space and help better fill the space with faux leaves and seed pods.

Another great Martha Stewart find!  It really pop with our green walls and is simply hung with two command adhesive hooks pushed through at the top.  You can still get this from Amazon here!

You may have seen these little guys in our recent post about our new family portrait!  My awesomely creative mom traced one of the bats from the ones on our sliding door - onto some fun foam.  We cut them out and threaded more upholstery thread through a little stitch on their back and hung them from the chandelier.  Brayden especially loves when I lift him and run him through the "batty bats" and let them dangle on his head.  These are one of my favorite things about Halloween!

Finally - a much recommended and much missed decoration.  We loved these little paper mice (again) from Martha Stewart.  They were so cute in our front foyer and were really festive.  Unfortunately, a rogue toddler constantly pulled them off the wall and would remove their tails.  They're all gone now, but hopefully we'll be able to replace them in the future!  This photo is the stock photo since ours are mutilated.  They're available for purchase here and M.S. even has a DIY template for the crafty ladies out there.

Hope you enjoyed your little tour and would love to hear about all your favorite simple Halloween decorations!

 

"Walkabout" Onion Cheese Soup Recipe

I know I'm not a food blogger (one glimpse at my pictures will tell you that) but I do love to share my favorite recipes from time to time.  I've been making "Walkabout" Onion Cheese Soup for almost ten years now and I'm always in the mood for it when the weather gets cold and I want something to warm me up.  It's based on a Outback Resturant Copycat version I found in Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Restaurant Recipes.

This soup is delicious and super simple to make but comes with a few warnings.  It is mostly cream and cheese - not diet friendly and not for the lactose intolerant.  It is for onion lovers and you will likely smell like onions if you consume large amounts of this soup (as I always do) and your house will smell like an onion factory for a few hours.  SO worth it though and I wish I could offer you a smell-o-vision wiff!

Walkabout Onion Cheese Soup

8 cups of water

5-7 small onions

9 beef bullion cubes

3/4 cup flour

Salt and Pepper

1 cup (1/2 pint) light cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded colby jack cheese

Pour the 8 cups of water into a large soup pan and bring to a boil. Unwrap the bullion cubes and add to the water.  Peel the onions, cut into petals and add to the water as well.  I typically do this by cutting the onion in half, and then in 6ths (with the center cut section down on the board).

Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer.  Let simmer for at least 30 minutes.  I like my onion with a little body so if you prefer yours more translucent cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Add the flour a sprinkle at a time using a flour sifter or sieve.  I use the sieve set on top of my pot, with the soup at a boil stirring constantly.  I lightly bounce the flour filled sieve on top until all has been added to the soup.

Add salt and pepper - about 1 t each or 8 cranks of your grinders/mills.  Allow to simmer another 15 minutes.

Add light cream and 1 1/2 c cheddar and 1/2 cup colby jack cheeses (reserving the rest to combine and sprinkle on top of each serving).  Simmer for an additional 15 minutes stirring frequently.

TADA!  That's it.  Serve, top with an extra sprinkle of cheese and enjoy.  

Picture Perfect DIY Family Photos with EasyCanvasPrints

I have been an amateur "momtographer" for a little over a year now.  After realizing that my point-and-shoot wasn't doing my gorgeous kids justice, I decided that it was time to find some better gear.  I got a DSLR, took a class and got to practicing - and the rest is history!  I was thrilled then, when Easy Canvas Prints got in touch with an opportunity to partner together for a post!

One of my "must dos" on every vacation to the beach is to get a steller family picture.  With two toddlers, this is much easier said than done.  While I'm no expert, I have learned a thing or two along the way just from experience.  Here are my four little tips for a great DIY family photo with kids!

1 - Happy Kids:  Start with kids that have napped and have full bellies.  Nothing sabotages a shoot more than cranky kids!

2 - Consider your Background: No matter if your camera is on a tripod or in the hands of an untrained family member, pose yourselves in front of something that is pleasant to look at, that won't be a total distraction from the subjects.  We chose the beach dunes which also made it obvious where we were.

3 - Watch your Shadows and Light: One of the hardest parts of getting great family shots at the beach is not having harsh shadows and squinting eyes.  A good rule of thumb for soft light is to always take pictures around the time the sun has set - with enough light to illuminate, but none to cast shadows on the face.  We adapted (sunset was dinner time) and used the time right after the sun set behind our building for a similar effect.  No squinting and no shadows.  Another option is to use a low flash to fill in the shadows and add catch lights to the eyes - but of course I'd left mine in the room and wasn't going back!

4 - Do Whatever it Takes for a Smile:  In our case, this was spinning around for "ring around the rosie" and when we'd turn around the bend, Julie still full of glee, the picture would snap and there we'd be.  Get creative with whatever makes your child smile!

Once we got the perfect shot, I was so excited to see what it looked like on canvas!  We chose the 16" x 20" size and got to work at www.easycanvasprints.com ordering our portrait.  I absolutely loved the ease of using the site - super easy to follow along and practically "goof-proof" for those who are technologically challenged.  I loved that the site allowed me to adjust the photo's cropping to make sure it was centered and balanced.  I appreciated the options for the canvas sides - black, white or a mirrored print of the image.

My canvas arrived expertly packaged and ready to hang.  The image quality was great and it was so sturdy that I knew it'll last the test of time.  Our canvas looks so professionally done that I was proud to hang it in our dining room!  

I am so pleased with my experience with Easy Canvas Prints that I'll definitely be ordering from them in time for the holidays.  What a great gift for family members!  Canvas prints would also make great gifts for new parents, or newlyweds with shots of their baby or wedding.


Easy Canvas Prints has generously offered to give away a free 8x10 canvas print for one of our readers!  Enter using the rafflecopter form below for your chance to win!

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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Easy Canvas Prints.  I did receive free product for my review, but all opinions remain my own.

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