I had originally planned to forgo decorating a room for the baby. Then, Tennyson arrived and I began spending lots of time in the room. Soon enough, I desired to add a few touches that would give the space a little excitement. I wanted to create a space that was his. I also wanted it to be appealing to me while we were in there for the many nursing sessions. I now have a little list of projects to spruce up the space a bit. The first on the list was to hang some wall art on those boring white walls.
Of course, that posed an opportunity for a DIY project. I frequently say that I my home would be decorated faster if I didn't take a DIY approach to everything, but the creative/crafty side of me insists that I do. A couple of advantages to creating my own wall art, though, is that it is often much more affordable to create pieces than buy them and they're always able to be customized. For Tennyson's room, I chose to do a large canvas piece with a saying and then three small pieces that were more of a nursery theme. My two main colors for his room are gray (my favorite color) and orange (we're TN vol fans). I then added some navy blue to add an additional color element. The pieces are simple but yet add a lot of personality to the room! (Plus, only cost me about $12.50 for the canvases and paints. Hooray!).
Tennyson's "Room":
This saying is a familiar one from the internet (ie pinterest). Nonetheless, my heart does desire these two statements to be true for him.
He loves to look at this one! I will have him against my shoulder and he will stretch his little neck to see it.
This is the original idea piece for setting the color scheme.
Alphabet painted in all the room colors. His initials are highlighted in blue.
(The three piece tree painting was also previously available in the Etsy shop. Additional listings available upon request.)
Current Living Room
This one says, "If we have family, then we have everything" and includes our wedding date and Tennyson's birth date. It's been a great reminder during difficult times that we are not lacking in life as long as we have family. We choose to make family our priority.
Are you a Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopper? Be sure to add the Reviving Homemaking Etsy shop to your list! Receive 15% off your purchase from November 29th through December 2nd! This is a great opportunity to get a lovely handmade gift for someone (or yourself!).
Printables Do you have a New Year's Resolution of getting organized already in mind? Interested in starting or maintaining a blog? What about finally tackling all those projects that are piling up? These printables are perfect for keeping you organized and on task!
Cloth NapkinsCloth napkins are a fantastic way to add some pizzazz to the dinner table! They're also a great money saver by eliminating the need to constantly buy and throw away paper towels. These sets would make a beautiful gift this Christmas season, not to mention a great addition to your own dinner table!
Fall Cloth Napkins The season may be past, but as we all know the after-holiday time is a great opportunity to purchase items at a discounted price for next year! Just imagine your next fall or Thanksgiving table decor with the finishing touch of these fun and festive napkins!
Thank you to everyone who shares and/or purchases from the Reviving Homemaking Etsy shop! I enjoy getting to make and share these creations with you, and appreciate your support! :)
After many, many months of the Etsy shop being temporarily closed I'm thrill to announce that it is finally back OPEN! The current listings consist of printable planner pages available for instant download. If you're needing some organization in life, then these planner pages are sure to help you get focused. If you're a blogger you'll be interested to see a few sets geared specifically for your work, AND at the bottom of this post is a form to request a FREE set for your review on your blog!
Whether you are creating a single post or a series of posts, the Blog Series Planner printables will keep your ideas organized so that your plans will be successful!
LISTING INCLUDES: (1) month view planner page, (1) Post planner page, (1) Project planner page, (1) Guest/contributor planner page and (1) Giveaway planner page. All are in PDF format and intended to be printed on 8.5"x11" paper.
Whether you're a new blogger or have been blogging for a while, the Blog Planner is sure to keep you organized! Plan to make your blog a success with the use of these helpful printable pages.
LISTING INCLUDES: (11) printables (13 sheets total) in PDF format intended to be printed on 8.5"x11" paper. (1) Month view planner page (1) Two week planner page (1) Post ideas page (1) Weekly statistics page (one page contains weekly stats for one month) (1) Contributor post planner page (1) Post planner page (1) Project planner page (1) Guest/ contributor post page (1) Giveaway page (1) Affiliates & sponsors page (1) Link-up directory (Each page features two days. Total of three pages)
Ever have so many projects in mind that you can't seem to focus what to work on and when to do it? The Project Planner pages help you divide up your project ideas across a month, and then allow you to focus on them in detail one at a time.
LISTING INCLUDES: (1) monthly view project planner page and (1) detail view project planner page in PDF format to be printed on 8.5"x11" paper.
View full listing in Etsy ShopSometimes we may need to seek additional financial resources, but other times we may just need to learn how to better utilize what we already have. Many aspects of money management are incorporated in these printables including keeping track of where your money is being spent, how much you typically spend in certain categories, setting goals, paying bills in a simplistic manner, establishing a budget and many others. Proper financial management contributes significantly to the well being of your family both monetarily and emotionally. Get a grip on money so that it doesn’t keep a grip on you! You don’t have to be overly controlling, but it is wise to gain greater knowledge and skills for handling money. Even if you don't use this system forever, it is a great starting place for getting your finances under control. No more coming up short before the next paycheck arrives!
LISTING INCLUDES: (8) printables in PDF format inteded to be printed on 8.5"x11" paper. Suggested instructions for use are included with each sheet. They are unalterable once sent, but can be customized by request before or at the time of order. -(1) Categorical Spending Record -(1) Spending Record -(1) Category Averages -(1) Income Allocation -(1) Current Goal -(1) Financial Goals -(1) Payments Schedule -(1) Price Tracker
It's 5pm and you're just now considering dinner. Unfortunately, the meat is frozen, you're out of stock on other ingredients you need, and everyone in your family is getting hungry. Sound familiar? You need a plan!
Menu planning allows you to prepare for meals in advance so that you have all the ingredients you need when you need them. It also allows you to save money by limiting trips to the grocery store or restaurants!
LISTING INCLUDES: (2) printables in PDF format intended to be printed on 8.5"x11" paper. They are unalterable once sent, but can be customized by request before or at the time of order. -(1) Weekly Menu Plan Sheet -(1) Shopping List Sheet
Update: The Blog Planner is no longer available for review. However, copies of the Blog Series Planner, Project Planner, Money Management and Weekly Menu Planner are still available! :)
I still have a few fall items left in the RevivingHomemaking Etsy Shop, and so here is your chance to get a little something to brighten your fall from the start next year! Just for followers of RevivingHomemaking here on the blog page or on the Reviving Homemaking Facebook page, use the coupon code "FALLSALE11" at checkout to receive 25% off fall items! That includes a fall apron and two placemat, napkins settings! I really enjoyed creating these items and would love to see them enjoyed in another home for coming holiday/fall seasons to come! :)
"I hated doing something I loved outside of work, feeling alive and engaged, only to have it all disappear the moment I walked through the door of my day job. I didn't hate the work per se. I liked my boss and the people I worked with. It wasn't that. I just hated that forty hours of my week didn't feel anything like the few hours of my weekend when life made sense.
I hated that my dreams had to go into hibernation every Monday morning." -Jon Acuff, Quitter
"I'm a ____________, but I want to be a _____________." This statement seems to constantly linger on the tip of the tongue. When asked what you do your answer seems to instinctively sounds similar to this: "Well, for right now I ..." Though this is a correct reflection of your current situation, but by not voicing a permanence to it you are sunbconciously allowing yourself to continue to hold onto the "but I want to be ____" portion.
Have you ever met someone who had given up and reconciled themselves solely to the former portion of the statement and thereby giving up on the latter? They're miserable. It's evident that their joyless state in their job has stretch to extend into a joyless state in life. This is the gap between what God created in us for us to do and what we are choosing to do.
Contrary to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World standard of machine stamped babies, we are carefully crafted. Think of something handcrafted and you will inevitably dwell on the deliberateness and detail that went into the work. We are God's work. He designed and created our beings- physical self, personality, interests and abilities (gifts)! Psalm 139:14 says, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well." It gives me goosebumps to think of the elements of my being being so carefully and loveingly instilled within me to create me the unique person that I am.
And yet, in regard to work there is little guidance to discover those special qualities and in turn use those in your life's work. Your life's work, after all, ought to not be to glorify God? If we must deny who we are or what we're good (or interested in) for the sake of employment, then perhaps we should take note that this simply cannot be what God had intended as our purpose. We shouldn't try to fit ourselves into someone else's mold. So often we're tempted to accept a course because the outcome is well paying, respectable, or stable despite the misalignment of our personality or abilities to that position. Let the square fit in the square hole, and the circle in the circle. Each piece in it's proper home completes the puzzle. 1 Corinthians 12:18 states, "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be." The hand works wonderfully attached to the arm, but attached to the foot it brings difficulty. The hand possesses unique qualities that allow it to be the best that it is just as it is. Similarly, we are endowed with gifts to allow us to be the best that we can just as we are. Romans 12:6a says, "We have different gifts, according to the grace given to us." Furthermore, 1 Peter 4:10 states, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms."
Why do we even attempt to ignore our gifts and attempt to assume another's? Fear. Fear of bucking convention and the imposed linear progression of life. We can have assurance that God's plan for us is solid. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understaning; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
With that said, there may be times when you must complete the statement as follows: "I'm a wage worker, but I want to be a homemaker." You look at where you've been and you look at where you are now, and must admit that the "but I want..." simply isn't the case yet. For example, the mass and generic ushering into college can leave the aspiring homemaker or mother with the above statement. Is all lost? Only if we allow it to be. We can use our wage working now to be a way of life and disregard the latter statement. Or, we can use our wage working now to build to a time where we can confidently say "I quit" and move into our dream role. Use everything you can now to build to the point of one day saying, "I am ____" with excitement and genuine joy because you know that is exactly what you are the way you are.
What makes your heart sing? What causes you to bubble over with joy in life? That is your clue to your direction. Guard your steps to move in that direction.
My heart is exclusively for home and family, and despite my circumstances now or to come that will always be its resting state. In the meanwhile of completing my "I'm ... but" statement, I consider this time to be that of building, not just financially but also personally. I've always been the crafty kid. It's my joy. Is there anything so satisfying as pouring yourself into the work you create with your own hands? My spirit soars to new heights as I embrace fully the beauty of the Creator and His creations (us).With each project and with each bit of time working in my heart I rest in knowing that I am one step closer to saying "I quit" and now "I am." To share this delight as well as encourage the greater growth of our travel towards home and family, I am overjoyed to present:
I'm still working on getting the RevivingHomemaking Etsy shop launched. My goal is to have it up by early next week. I'm so excited about it, though, that I had to post a sneak peek!
