all tied up: sisal rope vase...

our family room is an ever-evolving space. I have a vision of it as casual, beachy and airy with lots of natural elements mixed with blues and whites. I really wanted to add some rope texture in there somewhere and briefly toyed with the idea of a rope lamp. Then I decided on a sisal vase. I had no luck finding one I liked, so did what any good DIYer would do... I made one!

First, I started with a plain glass vase and some sisal rope. I got both for around $8. With my glue gun, I glued one end of the sisal to the vase, starting at the bottom. Then I started wrapping the vase tight with the rope. Once I reached the top, I used more glue to secure it in place. I made sure the ends of the rope lined up on the same side of the vase so it could be turned to the back so you won't see the ends. 

Now I know some tutorials say to intermittently glue while you're wrapping, but that would have caused too much of a mess. So once I knew both ends were secure, I would push two pieces of rope apart, slide my glue gun underneath and add a dot of glue. Then I'd put the rope strands back into place and hold it for a second until it was secure. I did this in a few places until I felt like the rope would hold.

In the picture above you can see how the ends of the rope are on the same side of the vase. I also added a little glue to the end of the rope so it wouldn't fray. Next, I grabbed some potting mix and a $3 low-light indoor plant from Home Depot and I was good to go! My very own DIY sisal vase. 

Ugh. Excuse the mess of cords. 

It mixes nicely with the tray on our coffee table but I have a feeling it's going to move to the mantel soon because it's starting to block the TV if you're laying on the couch. 

What are your feelings on using rope in home decor? 

favorite Friday find...

hitting up the local garage sales is one of my favorite things to do on a Friday morning. I work out, grab coffee then hit the sales. This morning I scored one of my favorite finds ever....

Two round wooden side tables for a whopping total of $20. No, not each. For. The. Pair. They have glass tops too. Very heavy ones. The glass alone would cost more than $20. 

I am so digging the swirl pattern on them. They are just so different. I don't have a place for them yet. I am debating splitting them up or keeping them as a pair. But they are so visually interesting, I know they'll be amazing wherever they go. 

Have you found any exciting garage sale or flea market finds recently? 

I never promised you an herb garden...

Ever since I started getting into cooking and we moved in this house, I have wanted to have an herb garden. There is nothing like the taste of fresh herbs. I attempted one inside, but didn't realize they need constant sunshine. Whoops! So this summer cultivating an outdoor herb garden was at the top of my to-do list. After a few weeks of collecting all of the materials, I'm happy to say, it's now crossed off my list!

I mentioned before that I had a bunch of outdoor projects that I forgot to take before pictures of, this is one of them. I found all three of those planter at a garage sale for $6 total. They were gold and, judging by all of the chipped paint,  looked like they were pink before that.  

But a couple coats of Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and they match our deck furniture perfectly. I lugged them around to a few stores before I found a pot that would fit. These three are from Meijer.

Next step was deciding which herbs I wanted to plant. I chose four that I thought I would use most:

I didn't want to go hog-wild on my first second attempt at growing herbs, so I stuck with four and doubled up the parsley and rosemary in the same pot. They seemed like they'd get along.

They've been out there about a week now and I couldn't be happier with their progress. I placed them right outside the kitchen door so they are easy to get to for watering and harvesting. Tonight is my mom's birthday and I plan on using all of them for different items on the menu. I'll let you know how they taste!

And for those of you who didn't get the post title pun, do yourself a favor and watch this little gem. I defy you to get this song out of your head.

it's a pizza party! a french bread pizza party!

So yesterday was this guy's birthday...

Handsome devil, isn't he? 

He's also a huge pizza lover. I mean, HUGE. He could eat it every day. So when it comes to special occasions, pizza is always on the menu. The thing that always challenges me is, "how do I do it differently?" On a recent trip to the grocery store I was in the bakery section and then --BAM!-- it hit me... make your own French Bread pizzas! 

First, the spread: 

It included: 

Bread (duh) 

Vodka sauce

BBQ sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Chicken

Colby Jack cheese

Banana peppers

Turkey peppers

Feta cheese

Bacon bits

I put out two sauces in case someone didn't want a traditional pizza and would prefer a BBQ chicken pizza. First things first, I must confess, it wasn't actually French bread, it was Italian bread. The French bread was just too skinny to hold any toppings. I began by cutting a loaf in half and then split those halves down the middle to make 4 pizzas per loaf. I drizzled them with olive oil and salt and pepper and then put them under the broiler on high until the edges were golden brown. (Full disclosure: I burned three of them because I forgot to set the timer - whoops!)

Once they were prepared, everyone (my parents came over for dinner) topped their own and then we put them all under the broiler again until the cheese was melted. It was fun, interactive and delicious!

Landscaping sneak peek...

I am so in love with how our landscaping has rebounded this year. As you'll remember, we had a lot of things transplanted last year and by fall things looked a little touch and go. 

But thankfully (almost) everything bounced back and our yard is looking lush. Here's a little sneak peek. Full post to come! 

lots of outdoor projects on the way....

But I am KICKING myself because I got so excited to start them, I never took any before pictures! Oh well. Stay tuned anyway!