twelveOeight

Boho vibe summer front porch

June 4, 2018 by Tanya 8 Comments

Hi friends!

I am super excited to share my recently refreshed outdoor space for our front porch. It’s kind of a wonky narrow area so you cant really lose your mind with big pieces.

But before I get into that, I want to thank Katrin from Kreativ K for putting together this fun Outdoor Space hop. If you are not following Katrin and her gorgeous boho-scandi blog, make sure you start, she so creative!

While there are some exciting changes happening behind the scenes while we house-hunt, I still have to have my porch ready for summer. Am I ready for summer? Not so much hah, but at least my porch is rocking a global vibe full of plants and pretty colors.

I find myself flip flopping every few years between a bolder, brighter color palate and a soft, light, neutral color palate.

Lately, everything mid century modern and indie/boho has been making me swoon, so I guess it’s good that I like a super eclectic home and I am not tied to one theme. I am fairly certain this began on an extremely tight budget many years ago, and since I still love to thrift, I have kept going and never questioned what I like.

So, onto the front porch space. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Boho Style, DIY, Thrifty Living

DIY Geometric Succulent Wreath and the worst quilt ever

May 29, 2018 by Tanya Leave a Comment

Quilting has absolutely nothing to do with this project.

You like wreaths, I like wreaths, and I bet we both really like an easy DIY wreath that is cool, affordable and quick to make.

I bring the topics of quilts up because I love them, and I am absolutely the worst quilter that ever quilted.

I realized this after carefully shopping for just the right fabrics, planning and choosing the week of a snow storm in the early 90’s to try my hand an quilting.

AND MAKE A QUEEN SIZED QUILT.

Yep.

Queen sized, lots of snow, and the saddest attempt at quilting ever. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Boho Style, DIY, Wreaths

How to paint a refrigerator

May 11, 2018 by Tanya 9 Comments

Oh friend, I cannot tell you how fun this before and after were.

I always have a running list of things I want when thrifting and junking.

Do you keep a similar list?

Right now mine looks like this (probably pared down due to recent deep cleaning and getting rid of stuff we don’t need)

Good quality white curtains
2 side chairs that need minimum work
Entry way table
Anything that looks remotely close to Ironstone
Pedestal base for new dining room table

There are little things too but those seem to be the items top of mind for upcoming projects.

And, this weekend I was able to take one off the “list” a refrigerator for my office at work! [Read more…]

Filed Under: DIY, How To Save Money, Spray Paint 101

When less is more: De-clutter with the 80/20 method

May 6, 2018 by Tanya 2 Comments

I am unsure of how so much stuff accumulates so quickly.

We have cleaned closets, donated, and done what we thought was a house purge before.

But this time is different…

This time is for a very special reason. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DIY, how to organize, Thoughts, Thrifty Living

Keto Arugula + Pepperoni Salad

April 23, 2018 by Tanya Leave a Comment

Sometimes you hear salad and the last thing that comes to mind is a meal.

Or that it will be filling.

Well, when you put the right things in it, you can’t finish it!

I have been watching my carbs and following the Keto-plan for about 3 1/2 weeks now. I am not hungry, and I am finding myself excited about meal planning and cooking again.

While I am staying away from processed foods, but eating more vegetables and fats, and moderate protein, I had to add pepperoni to this salad.

Blame it on the mozzarella, but those two just go together right? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Keto, Low Carb Recipes

How to make a barn door style planter box

April 16, 2018 by Tanya 12 Comments

I don’t know about you but I am sooooo ready for warmer weather, longer days, and FLOWERS!

I love to plant grasses & flowers around our patio and porch and cluster them together here and there.

They are so easy to take care of and I like how many different groupings I can put together with containers of different height and size.

We recently wanted to make a new catch all box to go by our back door for shoes, but we ended up making this pretty big.

And so it’s smaller cousin will be by the back door full of flip flops etc..

And this lovely lady (who holds some faux plants now but not for long) will be the new home to a grouping of topiaries I have had my eye on.

Here is what we used to make this rustic barn door style planter. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DIY, Farmhouse Style, home decor

Farmhouse style laundry room makeover reveal!

April 10, 2018 by Tanya 10 Comments

This makeover was a long time coming, and I am so super excited to share it with you!

Our laundry room has no natural light, and it’s under the stairs so the angles are challenging.

We began by gutting the room & giving it a nice deep clean.

Initially we were going to use a paint that is a bit darker with more blue, but ended up opting for a light grey.

With a busy family of five, and lots of laundry to do each week, we knew we wanted a laundry folding station. [Read more…]

Filed Under: DIY, Farmhouse Style, home decor

Keto week 1-what does it mean to nourish

April 8, 2018 by Tanya 2 Comments

I have a new-ish and exciting chapter I would like to share with you.

But first let me say that I will still be sharing our DIY adventures, painted furniture re-do’s, before and after thrift store goodness and all the usual stuff too.

But, I am bringing in another part of my world that I have made some changes to and I am excited to share with you.

Eating not just to eat, but to nourish.

I have had seasons of my life where I am more intentional about the steps I take to prepare foods that nourish, and make time to take care of the matters of the spirit that leave us feeling filled up and healthy.

And seasons that I ate, and lived, but I slipped in my planning and choices, not putting my body and spirit first.

When that has happened I find myself tired, stressed, unable to sleep well, and my Fibromyalgia is coincidentally at it’s worst.

So as my pain level has steadily increased for months, I have struggled with energy and lack of sleep, and I have grown more frustrated I find myself turning back to a system that I have loved before, low-carb.

But this time I am utilizing more of a Keto approach. While I will be monitoring my total carb intake for the day closely, my desire is to incorporate easy to prepare meals and snacks that nourish not just feed.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Clean Eating, Keto

DIY kraft paper farmhouse wreath

March 26, 2018 by Tanya 15 Comments

This post has been way too many days in the making.

I love how this easy wreath turned out that I made recently for my front door.

It was fun, thrifty and I was able to use supplies I already had!

Perfect for a rainy day when you want to stay in your comfies and not have to leave the house right?

I used a foam wreath form that I already had (it had flannel wrapped around it from a while ago) torn s [Read more…]

Filed Under: DIY, Farmhouse Style, Spring decor, Wreaths

DIY faux tiled laundry folding station

February 21, 2018 by Tanya 10 Comments

I am sure you have heard the story of the frog in the boiling water.

You know…

When things begin he is just a frog living his frog life and finds himself in some water.

In this case it’s a laundry room, not a pot of boiling water, but the analogy is accurate.

Over time, and stuff, and more time, and lots more stuff, our laundry room had become a messy place that you could barely step into.

It was a pot of boiling water and I was tired of looking at this less than inspiring space.

For a while now we have talked about building a folding station on top of the washer and dryer.

So after a bit of planning, and two different wall colors, we have the folding station done, a pretty new wool rug on the floor, and the ideas for shelving are coming together.

Squeal, I am SO loving this space now!

[Read more…]