Holy Homesteading

Runaround America-Visiting the Glass House of the Biltmore Estate

Designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt, this glass-roofed building nurtures exotic orchids, ferns, and palms. During the Vanderbilt's time, it provided flowers and plants for Biltmore House. Biltmore's Conservatory is a 7000 sq ft glass house on the grounds of the Biltmore estate in Asheville North Carolina. It is an beautiful example of a 17th century conservatoryContinue reading "Runaround America-Visiting the Glass House of the Biltmore Estate"

Runaround America-A North Carolina Detour

Meeting interesting people is one of the things I love about back roads America. People can be interesting in different ways. On this day, while driving down Gerton Highway US74A we came to the little mountain community of Gerton at the base of BearWallow Mountain. To our surprise, nestled in the side of the mountain wasContinue reading "Runaround America-A North Carolina Detour"

Hand Lettering Project

I just finished reading the first Harry Potter book and I had to do a lettering piece inspired by the book! If you are ever trying to add something special to your lettering try adding a little color by painting with watercolor or gouache. It is so much fun to work watercoloring into a lettering project.Continue reading "Hand Lettering Project"

Tomato Cage to Tree DIY

My neighbor's annoyance this fall was my delight as I found him yanking out a wild grape vine from a cherry tree. Instead of letting him add it to his burn pile I dragged them back to my yard to make these adorable trees to decorate my front porch. Here's how you can make yourContinue reading "Tomato Cage to Tree DIY"

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula-A Photo tour

A Wild wilderness waiting to be explored! Oh, yes I love Michigan. Going to the UP, as we call it here in the lower peninsula is an unique experience for all who love nature. There are pristine shorelines, numerous light houses, quaint villages and shops. The largest cities are spread out across the upper peninsula withContinue reading "Michigan’s Upper Peninsula-A Photo tour"

Dollar Store Diy Spice Magnets

I was shopping at the dollar tree again (I know I am there far too often!) and I found these magnetic tins. They reminded me of the magnetic spice tins but they were selling them to hold paperclips and other office supplies. I thought it would be a great Idea to make a spice tinContinue reading "Dollar Store Diy Spice Magnets"

Seriously Funny Writing

If I'm being totally honest I've never been a funny person. I've dreamed of being the one telling an epic story of embarrassment and having the whole room erupt in laughter. Never happened, not once. So I gave up on trying to be funny. Sure it happens on occasion, I get lucky and make someoneContinue reading "Seriously Funny Writing"

Fire Cider-Organic Recipe

Boost your Immune System with this powerful immune boosting tonic! Before it freezes here in Michigan I gather up extra snippets of herbs, harvest the horseradish, pick the reddest hot peppers I can find for a cold and flu tonic that is sure to make hair curl. Vinegar based herbal tonics are not a new invention and are highly adaptable andContinue reading "Fire Cider-Organic Recipe"

DIY Bathroom Mirror Frame

I have three bathrooms all with mirrors that have no frames. I wanted to add a little more life into the room with a frame around the mirror. I also added a shelf with plants above the toilet and some artwork in the room! Supplies Liquid nails Caulk gun Trim cut to size (home depotContinue reading "DIY Bathroom Mirror Frame"

Real Ceiling Beams- Difficult but Worth It

“If this were my house I’d take it all down.” Not the words we wanted to hear from our contractor who had already demoed most of our walls. This time the kitchen ceiling I’d been hoping to save. Unfortunately, the original builders used too thin of drywall and nailed it up instead of screwing it.Continue reading "Real Ceiling Beams- Difficult but Worth It"

DIY Frozen Smoothie Mix in 3 easy steps

Homemade smoothies are very easy to make! Today I found a great deal on a half bushel of peaches. What better way to preserve them than to make some frozen smoothie bags. I love making these from fresh ingredients for future use. It makes morning rush time less hectic. Gather your produce and wash it.Continue reading "DIY Frozen Smoothie Mix in 3 easy steps"

DIY Unicorn Headband

This week I decided to do a costume inspired DIY that would be great this year for Halloween. It also works for any age, young kids or adults, and can have many different variations to fit what supplies you have at home. This whole DIY cost under $4 for me (I already had the glitter,Continue reading "DIY Unicorn Headband"

Kill Your Darlings: Revising for Exclusion

Okay so I didn't actually kill off any of my characters, not yet at least. But they do get hurt. What we really need to focus on is not letting your personal goals, agenda, or outline mess up what your characters are really like or would really do. Just because you have a favorite partContinue reading "Kill Your Darlings: Revising for Exclusion"

Getting Paid for Blogging

Not us. Are you? How do you get paid for it? Why do people do it for free? Most of us just love to blog. We like to share our experiences. Some of us are building a platform or network we can use later (hopefully). Others use it for personal therapy, like a journal. WhatContinue reading "Getting Paid for Blogging"

Haunted Rooms-The Jewel of Kalamazoo

Visiting Henderson Castle Although this might be a good place to meet entities, the reason I traveled to SouthWest Michigan to tour Henderson Castle wasn't to come face to face with the castles favorite ghosts. They boast of 5 deaths over time inside the castle and pride themselves as a paranormal hot spot with the property situated acrossContinue reading "Haunted Rooms-The Jewel of Kalamazoo"

Free Printable Thanksgiving Dinner Name cards

I use Creative Market a lot for fonts and other things for design and this week they have some amazing free downloads. I used them to create name cards that you can download and use for Thanksgiving this year. I know what your thinking, Thanksgiving is so far away, but its good to get someContinue reading "Free Printable Thanksgiving Dinner Name cards"

Flower Farm a Final Season

As we pulled up to the u-pick flower farm the stillness of the jeweled field of flowers was so calming. Alone except for the beetles, bees, and turkeys on the hedgerow. We helped ourselves to some snips and a basket, trekking through the morning dew and muddy lanes to find perfect stems. My toddler chasesContinue reading "Flower Farm a Final Season"

Creamy Tomato Soup Canning Recipe

A Country Garden Recipe I gave up buying processed canned tomato soup a long time ago. The taste of making my own organic soup far surpasses processed soups from the grocery. The newly discovered fact that canned soups have toxic BPA in them should be a wake up call to all of us. So todayContinue reading "Creamy Tomato Soup Canning Recipe"

Lettering on a Mirror = Magic

I stopped by the local salvation army to look for any good finds for lettering projects and I found this amazing round mirror for 49 cents! I decided that it was a PERFECT canvas for a lettering project and I wanted to share it with you all. White lettering on a mirror for some reasonContinue reading "Lettering on a Mirror = Magic"

Napkin Pillowcase DIY

How many times have you passed by the home décor section seeing the CUTEST cloth kitchen napkins? The kind you want to show off but don't dare because they'll get destroyed with the first use. Unable to stop myself I brought home four flowered and colorful to display for company. The problem came when myContinue reading "Napkin Pillowcase DIY"