5 Simple Burlap Projects

Posted by melissa on Jul 22, 2014 in burlap, crafts | 6 comments

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of travel for my family.

Have I ever mentioned that my husband is a youth pastor?

This opens us up to so many amazing opportunities in the summer!

June was full of local camps…and July has been full of travel.

We spent a week serving an orphanage in Mexico called The City of Children.

From there we drove up the coast of California all the way to San Francisco.

{Daisy won a trip through Pottery Barn Teen for her bedroom…that is a blog post in itself…AMAZING!}

We flew home, unpacked, washed clothes and packed again for New York.

As I type this post, we are at camp Shiloh that serves children from the Bronx.

Fun times!

So today I am sharing some of my favorite burlap projects…

New Kitchen Color

Posted by melissa on Jul 20, 2014 in kitchen | 10 comments

A couple of weeks ago it was time to pack up my family of 5 to go to camp for 11 days.

And the day before we were to leave…I decided it would be the perfect day to paint my kitchen.

Because what else needed to be done?!

{I really wonder about myself sometimes?}

I just imagined how wonderful it would be to walk into a newly painted kitchen when we got back from camp.

How fresh everything would look…

How to Make a Dried Hydrangea Wreath

Posted by melissa on Jul 16, 2014 in crafts, wreaths | 3 comments

Every year my hydrangea bush outdoes itself.

I end up with seriously large, beautiful hydrangea blooms.

It actually should have died years ago.

My sweet mother-in-law gifted me with an Annabelle Hydrangea when my Anna Belle was born.

Such a sweet thought…but my reality was that I didn’t really have time to deal with a new plant.

I had a little girl that had just turned 2 and a newborn and I was tired.

So I quickly planted the little plant after letting it sit entirely too long in its plastic container…with no water.

And I forgot about it.

Until the next year…it began to show some life…and actually began to produce the tiniest of blooms.

I thought it just might make it after all.

Until my precious {then 3 year old} Daisy saw the tiny blooms and proceeded to pick everyone of them…and brought me a beautiful tiny bouquet.

I knew that was going to be all it took to polish the poor plant off.

But year after year it just kept coming back…defying all odds.

Allowing me to make things like this hydrangea wreath.

I Need Your Help!

Posted by melissa on Jul 14, 2014 in crafts, wreaths | 16 comments

So a few weeks ago something TOTALLY AMAZING happened!

{I still can’t even believe it?!}

Better Homes and Gardens emailed me and asked if they could use my floral monogram in their

ULTIMATE SUMMER BASH CONTEST!

Are you serious?!…of course they can! :)

{I can’t even believe that Better Homes and Gardens knows that I exist?!}

My competition is 3 incredibly talented ladies!

So if you want to help a girl out…

…I would really appreciate a vote for my floral monogram!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

{You can vote every hour of every day this week!}

Lime Simple Syrup

Posted by melissa on Jul 9, 2014 in Oh My Word Would You Look At That, recipes | 13 comments

If you are hopping over from Top This Top That, I am so glad that you are here!

I was raised on sweet tea.

My mama was putting it in my thermos for lunch by the time I was in the 1st grade.

No Kool-aid at my house…

…my friends wanted my mom’s sweet tea!

In the summer, she would hang little gold mugs from hooks under the cabinets so that we could come in and fix it ourselves.

Sweet memories.

So when my Southern friends wanted to get together and share drink recipes…

…I knew mine had to involve sweet tea!

So here is a fun simple syrup that will sweeten your tea while adding the perfect lime flavor.

How to Refinish a Kitchen Table

Posted by melissa on Jul 2, 2014 in kitchen, painted furniture | 10 comments

I come from a family that is all about traditions.

Or maybe it’s that my parents didn’t like a lot of change.

My parents lived in the same house for 26 years.

We moved in when I was 1 and they moved out when I was 27…during those years my mom redecorated and painted and rearranged…but one piece of furniture always stayed the same…

…the kitchen table.

I love that every family meal that we ate in that house was at that very table.

My husband’s family is much the same way…my husband grew up eating every meal at the same table…which now resides in our dining room!

So when David and I bought our family kitchen table…I knew that I wanted to use it forever.

But the shiny cherry was beginning to bother me…so I decided to try my hand at refinishing.

And I LOVE the results!

Mason Jar Flower Wraps

Posted by melissa on Jun 30, 2014 in backyard, crafts | 4 comments

I hope your summer is living up to all you were hoping it would be!

We are filling our days with camps…bike rides…trips to the pool…

…and backyard parties.

We love to drink out of mason jars, but your jar can easily get lost in the crowd.

So here is a way that your crew can identify just which one is theirs!

Sizzlin’ Summer Giveaway

Posted by melissa on Jun 21, 2014 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

I hope your summer is going to be full of all of those things that make summer so special.

I hope it will be a time to make memories…embrace moments…laugh a lot…and enjoy life!

I hope you catch fireflies…eat ice cream…swim all afternoon…make lemonade…

…and live up each hour in each day!

And if you have some dreams that require a bit more cash…

…then this giveaway is for you!

Enter below for your chance to win!

Just think of all of the amazing things you could do with $400 this summer!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TERMS & CONDITIONS: this giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents ages 18 and over and ends at 11:59pm MST on June 28nd, 2014. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. Number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Approximate retail value is $400.00. One winner will be selected. This is a giveaway sponsored as a group buy, which means the bloggers pooled their money together to purchase this product for you. All liabilities and responsibilities with product is directly responsible by VISA. Winner will drawn by random.org from all verified entries, contacted by email provided, and announced on this page at the end of the contest. Winner has 48 hours to respond or prize will be redrawn. Entrant is responsible for the email address they provide, whether through typing it directly or through the Facebook entry method. Inspiration for Moms is not responsible for lost or misdirected emails. All prizes will be awarded. No prize substitutions allowed. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook and we hereby release Facebook of any liability. Information is provided to Inspiration for Moms, not to Facebook and your information is never sold or shared. Facebook and VISA are not a sponsor of this giveaway. Prize is mailed or emailed directly by Laura Tusken of Inspiration for Moms and requires confirmation of delivery. Protected tweets do not count as an entry method for tweeting. Tweets must come from a public account. Bloggers in this group giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Life to the full!

Melissa