Do you ever get a wild hair?  I mean a really wild hair…where you think about something that you have and you just go grab it and start cutting it into strips and make something out of it?  Of course you do!  Isn’t it fun!?  That is what happened with this burlap coffee bean sack wreath.  I had made the poly mesh kind before….and then it dawned “uponst” me.  I could use the burlap coffee bean sacks that I had…for my fall wreath.

Have you made these before?  They are so easy.  Once you have the wreath form…you just spread the branches out.  I used an old one and took it apart.

Then I cut my coffee bean sack into strips, about the width of poly mesh.

The blue on these sacks is what calls to me.  If you follow me on Instagram (alongthedirtroad) you know that blue is my favorite.  It has been since I was a little child.  It just makes me feel happy.

Little blue stripe…you are so lovely.

After you cut your strips…you just lay them between the two little twiggies and kind of twisty tie them together.  Then you bunch it a little and move to the next two twigs.  I always do the outside row first and then move to the inner circle.  You can make it as full as you want.  I like mine big and fluffy.

Just work with it and tweak it, fluff it and puff it.  Yeah…you get it.

When you are done…hang it on your door.  If it needs a little color…stick a glittery pumpkin from Dollar General in there.  We are talking thrifty here, Dirt Roaders.  I already had all of this stuff.  Now…you might not.  That’s okay.  All of these things aren’t too pricey.  I promise.

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!  If you have any wreath questions, let me know!

Burlapin’ it up!

So you’ve heard me mention Thistlewood Farm before. She is the one that explained the awesomeness of drop cloth drapes.  They are amazing.  Under forty smack-a-roos!  Can you believe it?  I owe her some major gratitude. Because of KariAnne……I now go up into our master bedroom…and stand and stare at my new drapes.  They are pretty much amazing. What a wonderful Spring Break project…right Mr.?  Honey…..honey…did you hear me?  😉

Also…to the MIL…who was right there by my side…until the very end of the drape making…right until my old Singer died a slow death.  Then MIL whisked them off to her house and finished the last few stitches.  What a woman.  Gave birth to the most wonderful man on this earth…and finished my drapes. ( Several years apart. lol!)  Give that woman a trophy!

I’m gonna let the pictures do the talking for a bit.  You are welcome.  (I’m guilty of skimming the wording too. 😉 )

Note to self: When you take your camera off of the tripod…move said tripod…because chances are…it could be a really good shot that you will use anyway.

So…that is the tale of my drop cloth drapes.  If you want to know all about how to make them and the scoop on the rods…you can find it here.  They are just what I wanted.  They are farmhousey…..and that makes me smile.  Have a great day, Dirt Road Folks! (If you see a painter walking by…try to bargain with him if he has a clean drop cloth!)

Okay…so not really.  There are not really chores galore.  Sometimes it feels like it though.  To be honest sometimes I just don’t want to keep reminding little people of the chores that have their names on them.  So…I had an idea.  (Words that cause the Mr. to look for an escape hatch!)  😉

I have had this window for years!  It used to hang above our mantle back in the days before we could even get Internet out here.  (Gasp!)  What did I do back then when I didn’t have inspiration from Blogland?  I subscribed to way too many magazines.  I still love my magazines.  I just don’t get twelve as many.  I’m keeding! Not twelve…but several.  Now I only get three…I think…and one is a food magazine.  You are thinking “Hey Kel…sidetracked much?”

So the window had long since retired into our garage and then down to the basement.  I have painted lots of glass in picture frames for chalkboards and I have even painted a mirror.  The only difference is…I usually use spray chalkboard paint.  Well…Wally World (that is what Ozarkians call Wal-Mart. I don’t know.  Your guess is a good as mine.)  was out of my usual spray so the Mr. picked up some chalkboard paint in the can.  I do have to tell you that I am not super-pleased with the finish.  We did exactly what the instructions said..down to the knapp on the roller.  It was very grainy, like as in… too grainy.  It will work…but I LOVE…LOVITY…LOVE the results that I have with spray chalkboard paint.  That was just a word to the wise…for free!

In case you are wondering…these are not my hairy arms and man hands.  I just thought that I would clear that up.  They belong to my sweet hubby that got roped into doing the trim work on my chalkboard.  He has a steady hand and when we paint, I am the “roller” and he is the “trimmer.”  I think that it has something to do with the level of patience in each person.  I will let you figure that one out.  Anyway…he is so precious.  He is so longsuffering during my projects.  When I get that wild look in my eye…he listens when the idea is finally birthed.  (I think that he enjoys the excitement too…way down deep.)  He is WONDERFUL!  (He also reads this blog.  Hi Babe!)  Hee hee!

Okay…so while all of this painting and drying was going on…I decided that we needed a banner to brighten up the chore chart.  If we were gonna have chores galore…then we needed to have some pizzazz around it.  I got the kids busy on a project too.  If you read the blog you probably remember the mustaches that the kids came up with.  Aren’t my children precious?  Why…thank you. 😉

I found those adorable little bags at TJMaxx.  I knew that I would need them for something.  I just didn’t know what.  Do you guys do that?  It just kinda jumps out and slaps ya and you have to take it home?  ME TOO!  How exciting!  No wonder that we are friends! (Yes…that is Dawn in a Mrs. Meyers bottle.  Have you smelled the Honeysuckle dish soap by Mrs. Meyers?  Wonderful!  So wonderful..it’s all gone!)  Okay…I have got to get back to the part about having chores galore.  I am ping-ponging today!

I have seen stuff like this all over blogland.  KariAnne over at Thistlewood Farms….has an AMAZING one!  It’s breathtaking.  Pinterest also has some fun ideas for stuff like this.  Does Pinterest make you giddy?  Isn’t it fun? Did you know…that I dreamed up my chalkboard mantle…and THEN looked on Pinterest and there they were?  THEN the BHG magazine for that month had one in it!  Talk about excited!

Now it’s time to let it dry.  The hard part.  Is that the hard part for you?  Now can you guess who the impatient one is?  (Thank you God…for giving us balance in our home. I really appreciate it.  I love You for it too!)

I really think that “Hug family” softens the chore chart a tad.  Mothers do things like that.  Mothers are funny creatures.

Their new chalkboard chart hangs in the upstairs hallway, between their bedrooms and their bathroom.  I think that is a good place to remind you of what needs doing.  Our kids do other things besides this…but I thought that it would hurt to have a few basics “set in stone.” (Or paint and chalk.)

I am a firm believer in adding fun to anything that you do.  I learned as a child that if…while I was carrying in wood and feeding the dog, singing to the top of my lungs made chores more enjoyable.  I really rock the house on cleaning day.  I’M KIDDING!  I do like to try to put a little “happy” in whatever we are doing though. I have parents with twinkly eyes…that love to have fun.  It’s genetic.

So..that is our chalkboard chart for our chores.  We don’t really have chores galore…but it was catchy…don’tcha think?  btw:  You really do need a horse and a giraffe under your chart.  It doesn’t show…but under that digital frame is a whole bookshelf of Schleich animals.  Do your kids love those?  Our younger ones do.  (I think that their dad likes them too!…Hi Honey. ;)) They are sure to take their money when it’s time to hit the feed store.  (That’s where they sell them here.)

Have a wonderful weekend, Dirt Road Friends!  This post was a tad long and a tad scattered.  Maybe it will make you feel kinda crazy and your day will not only be work…but FUN work.  Now…go forth and ENJOY!

Hey all!  Are you ready to have some fun today?  😉 Are you ready for some DIY chalkboard tags?  I have been to the land of the Puny…and now I am trying to make it back.  You might be saying…”Hey Kel…we could tell by your posts…..a tad on the weak side.”  I sure hope not…but well…it’s kinda true.  I really struggled this week.  How is that for real?  We shall keep it real over here at AtDR!

This is the reason that I originally bought the labels. (Notice: Momma gets the end…she has the biggest purse! )

Sooooooooooo (sounds like: Sewwwwwwww) do ya wanna make some super easy chalkboard tags with me?  These are wonderful!  They are crazy-easy.  I have actually made little hanging tags before with the lids from canning jars.  Now where I’m from…those are called “flats.”  But…I want you to know what I’m talking about.  They are cute…and I don’t have a picture…but you can imagine.  You just pop that little lid out of the ring…and spray paint it.  Oh yeah…you also have your husband drill a hole in it…to hang it.  😉 Alas, this is not the super easy way.

THIS IS:

Do you guys love Staples?  You know…don’t laugh…but I have only been in there once.  The only reason that I went was to buy these chalkboard labels.  I had a coupon out of a decorating magazine…and I was zeroed in on the reason that I was there.

So…I got this bright idea.  What if you just left the paper on the backs to keep the sticky covered, trimmed them like you wanted them and punched a hole in the top?( Of course they need a dab of garden twine…that…. I swiped from my husband’s shelf in the garage.)  That sounds so much easier than the “flat” tags.  No spray painting…no drilling.

I haven’t tried the chalk markers or pencils yet. You guys need to fill me in!

Be sure and be lazy at first and grab the closest scissors…that don’t cut very well. 😉

Then….you go down to your craft room and get your scapbooking scissors. They give you the cleanest edge. If you want…have an oatmeal pie…for…um… strength. 😉

Because we wouldn’t know that they were oats without the tag. 😉

They are adorable.  Okay…so it’s not rocket science…but it makes us happy..right?  Right.  There ya have it.  DIY chalkboard tags….in a snap.

And…this last one dear friends…is what your great grandparents would have seen…when everything was still in black and white. (permission for eye roll granted.)

🙂 🙂 🙂

Have a wonderful weekend, Dirt Roaders.  You deserve it!

Hey Sweet Dirt Roaders!  How is Thursday treating you so far?  You have made it!  One more day until the weekend.  I always think of my aunt Jo when we talk about counting down.  She works hard to support her family and she is ready for a break.  I don’t blame her!

So…let’s talk winter wreath!  You know…I couldn’t remember for sure if I had shared this with you.  Then I remembered why.  I had shared it on Instagram…not here.  This wreath is soooooo simple.  I think that I actually got the idea for the ice skate in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  Don’t they just pack their magazine with all kinds of fun stuff?  I thought that you would agree.  😉

This wreath is made with what looks like burlap.  (Of course we are all nuts for burlap….except the lady at the material counter at Wal-Mart.  She can’t understand the sudden craze and she said that she thinks that it stinks.  She oughta smell it under a hot iron.  PEEEEE U!)  This is really kind of like Poly Mesh.  You know…the stuff that is all over Pinterest for wreath making.  This kind has a papery feel to it though.  I love it.  I have actually had it up since fall…and just changing out the decor on it for the season. So far though…the winter wreath…might just be my fav.

I love home decor that you can revamp. 🙂

May the Lord above bless you from the crowns of your sweet heads…to the soles of your dusty feet, Dirt Roaders.

p.s.  I’m gonna be working on my January Purge list.  Pray saints….pray.  😉

Hello Friends!  Happy…day after Christmas.  I hope that all is well on your path today.  We are just hanging out and…enjoying.  My favorite part of it all.  That being said, I didn’t want you to think that I forgot about the chalkboards.  Remember when I said that I was making them for Christmas presents and that I would show you later?  Well, I’m all about keepin’ my word.  So…I’m going to show you the two that I still have that haven’t been given as gifts yet.

An elegant little chalkboard.

I am still amazed by the way that you can transform a picture frame with some chalkboard paint.

I hope that you have a wonderful day, Dirt Roaders.  I hope that if you are in food detox, it’s going well for you.  I may check in with you a time or two during the rest of our break.  Now, go forth and…relax.