Top 5 Tuesday: Advents

If you've been blog hopping lately you've seen all the Advent rage. Advent calendars are everywhere! Every one is making their own individual, unique way of counting down the days until Christmas. I think I've missed the boat on this one, so I'm going to share with you five of my favorite Advent calendars from the blog world.

I love the way Freckled Laundry re-purposed denim pockets for this calendar.

lemon tree creations always delivers a great little craft and this countdown is no exception.

I think most of us could get away with only needing to buy the dollar store buckets to make Infarrantly Creative's advent calendar.

I love the way Just a Girl used very little space and made her advent jar interactive.

My top five list would not be complete without something from Martha Stewart so here is her Baby Sock Advent Calendar. Super cute!

I personally have never started an advent calendar on time let alone made one. So I hope you have enjoyed all this creativity from other places.

Blessings.

Top 5 Tuesday: Organizing

I haven't decided if I'm late on spring cleaning 2010 or early for spring cleaning 2011 but I'm on a mission for my house to be clean and ORGANIZED! I don't know about you but we've had a very busy summer and when you're busy things don't always get put away. That's our house this summer.

So I did a little looking for different ideas on organizing your home. Here are five of my favorites.

This isn't very practical for my home but I love the old barn look of it.

Better Home's and Gardens

Step ladder night stand. I love it!!

Everything has it's place and it doesn't take up a lot of room.

Martha Stewart

Clear containers! If you've been checking out the recent pantry & kitchen updates, you'll know clear containers are everywhere right now!! They are sleek, stylish and practical. If only Ikea wasn't five hours away I'd be snagging some for my pantry.

Martha Stewart

Under the bathroom sink. I never thought of putting hooks on the inside of my bathroom cupboard doors. I think it's a brilliant idea to hold a blow dryer, curling iron or straightener.

Martha Stewart

House of Grace just organized her junk drawers. This happens to be on my to do list for today so I appreciate her inspiration.

House of Grace

Well I suppose now that I've picked a few favorites I should go ahead and get to work. Happy Tuesday!

Blessings.

Top 5 Tuesday: What to do without my kids???

For the first time in our marriage the Tall Man and I have five days with no kiddos at home. I am not sure what to do with myself all alone while the other half is at work. So I've been doing a little thinking an here are my top five things to do without my three girlies. (Mind you, this is if money wasn't an issue.)

Shop Til I Drop!

Hit the Spa

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep

Coffee with Friends

Clean... Just like this, lingerie and everything... Yeah right!

Decisions. Decisions. What do you think I should do?

Blessings.

4th of July 2x4

In case you missed it, I LOVE the USA and am super excited to be making decorations for Independence Day. I made these 4th of July blocks with a 2x4 a couple weeks ago. I used my Cricut to cut the letters. I had some help from Tall Man to cut the 2x4 to the sizes I needed. I'm not brave enough yet to handle the saw on my own.

I had my six blocks cut to size and decided to sand down the corners and edges to make them worn and not a danger to my little ones. Once I was happy with my sanding job I tore my scrapbook paper to size. I decided to tear the paper rather than cut it because I wanted a more rustic look rather than clean lines. Next I used my ink pad to darken the edges of the scrapbook paper and applied it to the blocks with Mod Podge.

For this project I put the paper on the front and top of the blocks. Usually I only worry about the front of my project but for this one I wanted to do a little more. While the Mod Podge was drying I used my ink pad and pointer finger to darken the letters. The final step was applying "4th of July."

With an old American Flag door hanger propped up behind the blocks I think they look complete. I'm loving these patriotic blocks and am off to finish another red, white and blue project.

Blessings.

Linking to: Centsational Girl, It's a Blog Party, Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths

Top 5 Tuesday: 4th of July

I am so excited for the forth of July this year. I don't have a great big BBQ or neighborhood parade planned, I actually have a mid day shift at work. I'm excited to show my support of our country. We are so blessed to live in America.

I missed last week's Top 5, but there was no way I could miss this week. Here's the top 5 decorations, snacks, etc. for Independence Day that I've stumbled upon recently.

You can't go wrong with red, white & blue flowers in coordinating pots.

I love these pinwheels. What makes them a thousand times better are the galvanized steel buckets & watering can.

This centerpiece is so fun!

Not only is this little girl adorable, but I think the white vinyl stars are great on the red steel tub.

Cherry Cola cake! Enough said... YUM!

Hope you've found something fun & inspiring from my top 5 picks.

Blessings.

Top 5 Tuesday: DIY Father's Day Gifts

Given that Father's Day is this coming Sunday I thought I would share with you some of the super cute home made gifts I found out in blog land.

This Father's Day Board Book is cute by Tip Junkie

Working this poem into a gift would be very sweet. Found it at Rocket Moms.

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,
He called it ... Dad

You can ALWAYS count on How Does She? to have a great gift idea.

Martha Stewart is right on with these labels. Maybe some home made bbq sauce inside?

Family Fun came up with a cute idea here too.

Blessings.

Top 5 Tuesday: Outdoor Party Ideas

Summer will officially be here in just a couple of weeks which means it's time for block parties and back yard bbq's! I was cruising Martha's site again and found some great outdoor party ideas. Here are my top five:

Message in a Bottle

I think this whole table setting is darling.

Drink Parasols

Every drink looks better with an umbrella.

Fire and Water Centerpiece

Fire and water are a great combo.

Photo Centerpiece

These would be great for anniversaries, weddings, all sorts of parties.

Outdoor Movie Night
This is my favorite of the bunch.

And one honorable mention...

Frozen Vodka

Blessings.

Top 5 Tuesday: Summer Activities for Kids

I'm trying something new today. Top 5 Tuesday. I cruise through quite a few sites when I start searching for new craft ideas. I thought it would be fun to share my top five pics with you. From time to time I'll be posting my favorite finds on Tuesdays. I hope you enjoy this and can find some creative ideas that you can make your own.

In two short weeks my girls will be home full time, summer vacay! Which means I better come up with some activities for them to do other than making Mommy crazy. For my first Top 5 Tuesday I'll be sharing my favorite summer activities from Martha Stewart.

Tic-Tac-Towel

You can count on me making at least one of these this summer.

Shark and Beach Cupcakes

Yum!

Book Worm Game

A great way to encourage summer reading!

Kids Travel Kit

All our summer travel will be in the car. This idea is a keeper!

Tree Swing

I've always wanted one of these. So this one's not just for the kids. =o)

Blessings.