When my friend Abby came over, she noted how our koushi inspired light was very similar to a sky lantern (those lanterns you light up and let float away into the sky, like in the movie Tangled), which then peaked my interest and I asked her if she thought I could use them as a light pendant of sorts. Well, a few days later, Abby had sent a sweet surprise…. a colorful package of sky lanterns arrived in the mail!

She sent the package a couple months back, but I’m just now getting to decorate with it. I want to hang all of them up somewhere, but for now, I just did the orange one in our homeschooling room. I added a 20″ strand of wire and attached it to the hoop already on the lantern, and then I hung it on a screw hook that was inserted into the ceiling. I used our swag light cord kit (from this project) and hung that from the ceiling too. I placed the light bulb near the top center of the sky lantern, and used another smaller piece of wire to keep the light attached to the center of the lantern so it doesn’t move around. When the light is on, its orange glow gives off a warm vibe. It’s not the main lighting in the room, so it wouldn’t get much use, but of course, it’s not something to leave unattended.

I know Abby purchased the sky lanterns from eBay, but I’m not sure from which seller. I’m thinking of adding a couple more to join the orange one, so it’ll be a nice cluster together, but I haven’t decided which colors to mix in.

p.s. the hanging chalkboard on the wall is a project from my book!

I’m very thankful to have the opportunity to partner with Wayfair for some of our bathroom renovations. I shared a little snippet of the start here. We started this week, but while we had most things ready to go, we decided last minute to add on subway tile to the walls. It’s funny how I can spend so much time agonizing over which white to go with, and which grey grout to use. It’s pretty maddening! If there was only one shade of white and grey, my life would be so much easier! But Ben says, if there was only one option, I’d be complaining there weren’t more. So true.

I wanted to do one wall a blush pink, but Ben’s not feeling that idea, so I’ll have to tuck that idea away for one of our other bathrooms. I think it would be perfect for the girls’ shared bathroom. My bathroom pinterest board has been my go-to for inspiration, and I can’t wait until it’s all done so I can start decorating! I’ve been holding onto some vintage mirrors for a couple years, patiently waiting to put them to use in our bathrooms, so I’m excited the time is finally almost here.

Image 1 via Domain Home, photo by Amy Neunsinger. Image 2 via Style at Home, photo by Janis Nicolay. Image 3 via The Design Files, photo by Lauren Bamford. Image 4 via My Scandinavian Home, photo by Hans Mossel.

I love having a hammock inside our home (see the room tour here and it was also featured here). The girls love sitting in the hammock (they all pile in together) to read or watch a movie on their iPad, and sometimes they just get in their to lightly swing. It’s unexpected to have a hammock inside, and people always get surprised by it and are eager to try it out. They always doubt it will hold their weight, but we assure them it’ll be fine. Ben used some sturdy eye bolts and put them into studs in the walls. Technically, he made them strong enough to hold 900 lbs, but I don’t we will ever fill the hammock with that much weight. Originally, the hammock was supposed to go outside, but I’m so glad we put it inside instead.

Our Nicaraguan hammock (we also have this colorful one) was from a seller on etsy, but he wasn’t reliable when other people ordered from him (total bad news), so obviously, I wouldn’t recommend him any longer. I did find these other options online, and thought they are all just as pretty and would be a great hammock to have indoors (or out!). I’m hoping that one day, we can put a hammock outside too!

1st row: brazilian hammock with fringe,  cape cod style
2nd row: canvas chair hammock, wedding hammock
3rd row: luxury macrame hammock, canyon fringe hammock

Head over to The Honest Home and I get all chit chatty about blogging, my book, and even my girls. Tammy was such a gracious host and made me feel so comfortable. Doing things like these are always so nerve wracking, but I’m always up for the challenge. I’m so grateful for all the different opportunities that have come through the years, and I so appreciate all of you who continue to spend time checking in here. I love being able to share projects, stories, and even my struggles with all of you. So if you care to listen, you can get the podcast here.

I’m so excited that it’s spring break is finally upon us! Happy Friday! *doing happy dance*

Here’s a confession… Ben and I sleep in two different beds. It’s not as bad as it sounds, as it’s two beds right next to each other, so we’re still together, but it is still two beds. He has a firm twin right next (there isn’t any space between the two beds) to our soft queen, and it’s because the mattress we bought when we first got married is killer on his back; it’s not enough support. We had a much firmer twin in a guest room, so some time ago, he dragged that into our room and put it next to our bed. It’s quite laughable and our friends totally make fun of us, and just in case you’re wondering… our marriage is great. This has not affected us one bit. It’s just like we have a super king bed, but use different sheets!

We started mattress hunting two years ago, and narrowed it down to a couple choices, but then we got all freaked out about all the chemicals that go into making a bed, so we decided to look at more natural options. We looked at a couple natural choices, and we love the one we picked out for True (read about it here), but we still haven’t figured out one for us just yet. I have always liked beds not resting on a frame, kind of just low to the ground (which is what our bed(s) are now). But I think it’s time to grow up and pick out a frame (and hopefully a mattress).

I’ve searched long and hard for a bed frame I liked, but since I haven’t found one, I haven’t been in a hurry to get a mattress. Well, I think I found two bed frames that make me dance, so now we are back into bed and mattress discussions. I love this one with a tall headboard (in white), and I like this narrow leg bed frame (in white), but not sure if I want a headboard or not. One day, I want to also put white brick on the wall behind our bed, so I’m not sure if that should weigh in having a headboard. First world problems, I know.

Even when we decide on a bed frame, we are still stuck on what mattress to get, and whether to get king or queen. Our bed is a queen, but I guess having two beds together, it’s pretty much like we have a king. We never co-sleep with the children, but on the weekends they do like to come sleep in our room, so they all drag sleeping bags and sleep on the floor, so not sure if we need a king. I have gotten used to having more bed to myself though, so maybe a king would be best. See, another bed-deciding dilemma… at this rate, we are going to live like this for another couple years. HA!

image 1 via the style of my life. image 2 found on pinterest, source unknown. image 3 found on pinterest, source unknown. image 4 via nuevo estilo. if you know who the unknown photos belong to (or if i have any one linked up incorrectly), please do share as I would like to make sure to give them credit. thanks!

I’m definitely not a pro when it comes to putting together a fancy Christmas tree. I go for the sweet and simple when it comes to tree decorating, but I wanted to share some tips I remember my mom teaching me when we decorated the Christmas tree growing up…

-Spread out all the branches. We never had a real tree growing up, just my parents’ preference, so we had to take time to spread out all the wire-y branches.
-Don’t just put ornaments hanging from the edge of the branches, but put them in closer to the trunk too. You want to give use your ornaments to give your tree some depth.
-Check the tree from all angles. Everything might look fine and dandy from one side, but you look from another angle, and there’s a spot (or two) that need some ornaments. Make sure to spread them out!

Besides the wooden ornaments from Michaels (we purchased these straw ones from eBay), I also created some additional ones with the wooden balls. I bought some tiny eye screws, drilled a tiny hole in each wooden ball (okay, had Ben drill holes!), then screwed in the eye-screw (okay, Ben did that too!). The girls added some string (they really did that!) and we hung them up!

When I was little, I would be gung-ho about decorating the tree as soon as my parents brought it out. Then, my drive would fizzle out at some point, and I would sit there and watch my mom finish it. She always took special care to make the tree just perfect for all of us. I love the festive feeling my mom (and dad) created in our home growing up, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to do that for my girls now.

If you want more tree inspiration, stop by The Glue String to see all 30 of the Michaels Makers’ trees. Some of them are pretty awesome. Like I said in this post, I would totally lose in a tree decorating contest.

Supplies for this project are provided by Michaels as part of the Michaels Makers series. No additional compensation was provided.

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