Floral Friday

It's Floral Friday! The time of the week where I take flowery pictures, and turn them into free wallpapers for you desktop and mobile devices.

I cannot lie, these images were not easy to capture this week. I spent a few hours adjusting things, trying to get the best shot. They aren't perfect, but I like some of the shots I captured!

I used roses from my garden, eucalyptus. and daisies for this one.

For Your Desktop

click here to download Wallpaper 1
click here to download Wallpaper 2
click here to download Wallpaper 3
click here to download Wallpaper 4

For Your Phone

click here to download Wallpaper 1
click here to download Wallpaper 2
click here to download Wallpaper 3
click here to download Wallpaper 4
click here to download Wallpaper 5

Hope you enjoy these this week, and I would love to know what flowers you'd like to see next week! Let me know in the comments.

xoxo Sallie

Mother's Day Bouquet Card Printable

This past Monday I hosted a Mother's Day lunch for my mom, granny, sister, and sister-in-law. We usually don't end up doing anything to celebrate Mother's Day (which is a shame) so it was really nice for all of us to get together.

We enjoyed chicken salad, sweet potato soup, and peach tea while sitting and talking.

Isn't my granny just the cutest?

I spent a little extra time on the table decor. I made the napkins just for the occasion, and the table runner. I also made the felt flower napkin rings (DIY coming later this week!)

But my favorite project was teaming up with my friend Courtney (see her blog here) to make these super cute printable Mother's Day cards!

I knew I wanted to make a bouquet card like this, but my drawing and hand lettering skills are subpar. Courtney just opened a print shop and has the most adorable prints. I was so glad when she was game to help me, and I really like what we came up with.

This is a simple way to add a personal touch to your Mom's card this year. There are four FREE cards to choose from, and then all you have to do is whip up a few felt flowers.

Mother's Day Card 1
Mother's Day Card 2
Mother's Day Card 3
Mother's Day Card 4

And here's how you put it all together!

Which card is your favorite?

xoxo Sallie

Sweet Potato Fries

Do you love fries? Do you love sweet potatoes? Do you want to eat both of those things at the same time? Then this recipe is for you.

I make these fries about once a week. They are easy, delicious, and relatively healthy! But most of all, they are delicious.

Here's how you do it!

Ingredients
• Sweet Potato
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley

Directions
1.      Heat oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. Cut potatoes into fries.

2.      Drizzle fries with olive oil. Sprinkle seasonings evenly on the potatoes.

3.      Bake fries for 18 minutes until they are golden brown.

4.      Heat coconut oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat until oil sizzles.

5.      Transfer fries to skillet, turn down heat to medium low and flash fry the potatoes on both sides.
         About 1 - 2 minutes per side.

There you have it! Delicious fries straight from your own kitchen.

Happy Homemaking!

Sallie

Floral Friday

Last week I introduced a new blog segment called Floral Friday! Every Friday, I upload new wallpapers for your devices with a floral theme. This helps encourage me to improve my photos, as well as gives you a chance to download some flair for your phone!

I got some great responses last week, so I'm back with more fun wallpapers for you to download and use! This time, I even have a few for your desktop. Enjoy!

For Your Desktop

click here to download Spring Blooms Wallpaper
click here to download Daisies Wallpaper
click here to download Roses + Daisies Wallpaper

For Your Phone

click here to download Daisies Wallpaper
click here to download Floral Waterfall Wallpaper
click here to download I <3 Spring Wallpaper
click here to download Spring Blooms Wallpaper

I hope all of you enjoy these! What colors and flowers would you like to see next week? Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo Sallie

Front Porch Makeover

Growing up, we had a house with a full wrap around porch -- think Georgian plantation house. It was big enough to put lots of patio furniture on, and I loved sitting outside when the weather was nice. There was the occasional snake under the couch cushions (another story for another time), but overall it was very nice!

A house with big porch is definitely on my bucket list, but until then I am making the most with what I have!

I like to think of the porch as a little preview of what lies ahead. I think there are so many missed opportunities to create a welcoming experience when you leave your porch untouched. 

And can I just say, the first day I had this completed I had a party and almost every person mentioned that they liked the porch! It makes a difference, people!

I made a little mood board so I could get a clear idea of exactly what I was going for. 

Some of the things on this mood board were things I already owned, like the hanging planters. I bought new flowers and spruced those up myself. Hanging flower baskets $25.

Just by adding some hanging baskets it really started to spruce up the space! Then I focused on the plants I wanted on the ground. I picked up these two foliage plants from Home Depot, plus the planters and stand and it was about $60. 

I purchased Begonias and Hostas for the front porch flower bed for about $20. These plants love the shade which is great for me since the front porch is 100% shade. I also added my pink flamingos that I bought from amazon last year. They may be tacky, but I love them! 

And to tie the entire look together, I bought this rug from overstock. All in all, I am so pleased with this space! I spent about $200 to tie it all together, but for the positive feedback I've received I think it's all worth it! 

xoxo Sallie

DIY Decoupage Vase

Happy spring friends! I hope you've been enjoying the longer days, warmer temps, and fresh blooms that are springing up all around. Since I am working from home now, I really enjoy the spring days when I can have the screen door open and let the breeze roll in.

The rose bushes in my front yard have been taking off like crazy, too! I've been able to clip lots of blooms to put in vases all around my house which has left me looking for an easy way to spruce up some of my old containers. Inspiration hit as I was looking through instagram, and as luck would have it, I had everything I needed to complete this project! I took some old dictionary pages (book pages would work, too), and used a little spray adhesive and mod podge to finish the look.

These whip up in a flash, so pull out those old vases and let's get to work!

Materials
• Paper - dictionary or book pages
• Spray Adhesive
• Mod Podge - matte or gloss finish
• Foam Brush
• Paint
• Paint Brush

Directions
1.    Tear the pages. Tear your pages into relatively small strips. The smaller the piece, the better it
       will adhere to a rounded surface.

2.     Attach with adhesive. Use your spray adhesive* to spray the back of the page, then press it
        onto the vase. Continue until you have the entire vase covered.

*Pro tip: Spray your strips over a piece of cardboard. Spray adhesive will spread and make everything within 2ft. of the spray VERY STICKY!

3.     Apply a layer of Mod Podge. Use your foam brush and apply a layer of Mod Podge to the
        entire surface of the vase. Pay special attention to any corners of paper that are popping up.
        Allow to try completely.

4.     Paint the vase. After your vase is totally dry, it's time to add paint. I did a simple geometric
        stripe pattern, but here is where you get to be creative. Keep in mind that if you are using book
        pages, you don't need this to be too busy. The simpler, the better!

5.     Fill with flowers and enjoy!

I am very interested to try this technique with an old tea pot. I have one in my kitchen, but I'm not sure I'm ready to surrender it to crafting! This would be great to do on an old bowl, or even a teacup! I would love to see how you use this easy method to make something new for your home!

xoxo Sallie