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Well, I've been saying that I was going to do it for years now...and guess what! I finally did it! I flocked my Christmas tree!!! We bought our 10 footer about 7 years ago, and I have loved everything about it besides the fact that it wasn't flocked... That's a big thing to hate! ha! Over the years I figured out how to make it look lighter using lots of frosted garland and sticks full of flocking. I decided that last year was going to be the last year of doing that, and I really needed to just flock the thing. The way I saw it, we had our good times and well, it was just about time to get a new one. So, why not try to revive it one last time? I would rather spend a fraction of what it cost to buy a flocked 10 foot tree than by the actual tree.

So, the flocking happened. And it was totally worth it and so so easy!! Here's the final result:

 The two flanking trees came from the store flocked, so you can see what an awesome job it did!

Here's the before:

I did this whole tree in about 30 minutes. Here's all I used:
This flock from Amazon (link) I used a 5 pound bag on my tree and had about 1/5 left over for touch ups. 
Mesh strainer
Spray bottle full of water
Mask
And socks...definitely socks you can throw away :)

The flocking has some really good instructions, so be sure to use that as a guide. But, here's how I did mine...and I have a video below that shows my technique...with my head chopped off :) Sorry, compliments of my 6 year old taking the video.

video link: https://youtu.be/z0E_d4431t8

So, here's how I did it. I filled the strainer almost full with the flocking. I misted the tree around the area I was ready to flock. I then shook the strainer and started spraying what was coming out of it towards the tree with the spray bottle. This looked good, but I wanted more. I wanted lots and lots of flocking. So....I kind of shook the strainer harder and noticed nice big poofs were going onto the tree  in just a beautiful thick layer. So I started spraying all the stuff that was going over the rim of the strainer instead. Pic below also compliments of my 6 year old:

 I swore I wore the mask through 75% of doing this, just not in the pics or video :)

My tree comes in three pieces, so to make this easier on me and not have to stand on a teetering ladder, I placed the pieces in their own stands. 

 Here's a good look at before the flocking and after.

 and all flocked up! Ha! I loving saying that. I totally found a shirt on amazon a couple of years ago that said "let's get flocked up" and had a Christmas tree on it. I am so so sad I did not buy it. I can't find one now! I need to just start making them :)

Couple of words of advice. Don't wear shoes, they will get ruined. Also, don't go barefoot...you will literally be scraping the flocking off the bottom of your feet. So, wear socks you can throw away...or I guess shoes you don't care about and can probably throw away. Don't flock your dog. I did...on accident. He was just super curious and got in the way at the right time :) This stuff is apparently completely safe and natural so I didn't worry too much about getting him. It might also be smart to not wear things you care too much about. I didn't really get much on me, but that's not to say it can't happen. And lastly, wait to bring it inside. Make sure all the flocking has set. Spray it down again if you need to.

Now for my review. I loved this stuff. Worked waaaay better than the aerosol kind I attempted to use last year. That being said...make sure you take your time and wet it down enough in between coats so it can completely adhere. I had spots that were super loose because of my over-kill clumping. This stuff doesn't stay on as well as actual flocked trees you will buy at the store, but it also didn't cost as much! So, there's that. I just put new lights on my tree once I got it in my house, and I was pleasantly surprised at how little flocking fell off when I put them on. I ended up just having a slight dusting on the floor. I'll definitely be saving the left over flocking for touch ups next year once it gets back out of the box! But all in all, it was totally worth it. Super easy and quick and gave me the look I wanted for years! 

Follow me on my social for sneak peaks, live videos, and fun new things that are going on!

  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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What if I told you there was a way to scent your home without the use of flame, hot wax, or harmful chemicals and air fresheners? I know. You would think I lost it. Or maybe that I'm doing essential oils now, but guess what?! Not that either! 

So, let me back up. I was touring the Parade of Homes last year and kept going into houses that smelled absolutely amazing. Like, yeah-I'm-just-going-to-plop-on-this-bed-for-awhile-and-I-don't-even-care-that-it's-corded-off-and-has-a-do-not-touch-sign-on-it type of amazing.  The scents were pleasant and not over powering. I was looking through the rooms and couldn't figure out how they got these smells in there. I was seriously thinking it was some weird new way through the vents. I didn't see any candles, wax melters, or diffusers. I found out that the amazing fragrances were coming out of this little device here:

It's called the AirMoji. So, how the heck do they do it? Right? It's through a little fan in the bottom! I was sold. No flame....no fear of burning my house down. No wax...no fear of my kids dumping hot wax all over themselves or the carpet (again)...or let's be real, me dumping it all over my blankets over and over lol. No cord...Yep. No cord! This thing is chargeable and portable. I can seriously stick my figure in the middle, which you know any kid is going to do, and nothing happens! (don't believe me, watch the video at the end of the post!). I shook this thing and it's been bumped off my dresser more than once and still works and keeps going! And best yet, it didn't leave a big oil stain either. 

So, I bought one, because obviously I had to. I've had mine for a year and my house has never smelled better. The scents in here are LONG LASTING! When I say that, I mean it. I run mine about 10-12 hours a day, and the scent fills my entire great room for about 2 weeks (I tend to lean toward the stronger scents). I then move them into a smaller space, like my bedroom or front room and they push about another week. It's amazing. The scents are hypoallergenic, cruelty free, paraben free, soy free, gluten free, phthalate free and non-toxic. They come in these little pods which are pressed wood discs saturated in the fragrance oil or essential oil: 

My fave part about it? Well, besides the obvious from above. It's immediate fragrance. Like, I turn it on, and boom! You can smell that! It's the best for parties. I have a knack for forgetting to turn on my wax warmer the needed half hour before people were going to show...you know, cuz you have to wait for it heat up and then wait for the wax to melt... For this? I don't have to worry, I can turn it on when the first person walks through the door. Better yet....why not just program it to turn on? Yep. Heard me right. It's programmable to turn on and off via bluetooth. You decide when it happens with a free app! 

Okay. So, why am I sharing this all with you? You can obviously tell that I love this little device. I've used it literally every day for the past year. I feel like there are multiple layers to an inviting home. First is to have it beautiful, well decorated, and clean! Second is for it to smell oh so amazing. Your nose smells before you eyes see! Have you ever went up to someone's door and they open it and the best smell comes pouring through? It's like heaven! And opposite ...the smell comes pouring through like cat pee or vomit and makes you go running for the hills? That house can be so pretty, but if it stinks...it stanks. 

So, let's talk about the deets and then you can join the giveaway to get one for yourself along with my favorite scent, Serendipity! 

AirMoji's are environmentally friendly. The pods are made from biodegradable materials. These wood fiber cores are filled with 100% essentials oils (yes, they can be diffused by air!) or the MojiLife fragrance of your choice, with over 40 to pick from. The oils are manufactured in Europe using stricter standards than the United States. And as I mentioned above, they are hypoallergenic (the best for my family and their crazy allergies!), non-toxic, gluten-free and soy-free. 

How many square feet does the AirMoji cover? 
For me, it's about 800 square feet. That's my dining room, living room, and kitchen. The taller the ceilings, the less space. This also depends on the strength of the scent you choose. You can easily use just one AirMoji in a small single room space, or if you have a larger space, use two to get more scent going. 

So, how much are these amazing things?
The actual AirMoji device is $49.95, and it comes in either black or white. The fragrance pods are $6.50 each, and the essential oils/blends start at $10.75. 

What about the scents? 
There are over 40 fragrances to choose from. I have about 15 favorites, but my absolute best three are: 

Serendipity- it's like pouring almond extract all over your home. Might sound weird, but I'm not going to lie, I've thought about doing it.
Lotus Petals and Bamboo -this is not your grandma's floral. It has a great citrus note to it at the beginning and is just a great fresh scent. 
Tahitian Sunset -this one will take you back to vacation with all the tropical fruits! 

Other popular ones: 
Sweet Lemon-think about drinking sweet lemon tea out on your porch during those hot summer nights.
Pastry Shop -it will literally smell like you are baking vanilla cupcakes.
Spring Breeze -make people believe that you are actually caught up on laundry! 
Sweet Pea -this just brings me back to the high school hallway. 

Seasonal Scents:
Sugared Pumpkin -pretend you just baked some pumpkin pie!
Rustic Spice -my fall fave, smells like walking into a craft store with all their spiced pine cones during the holidays.

How do you buy them? 
You can purchase them from my shop page. Don't forget to check out the specials page where you can get a discount on bundles! And don't miss the home decor line! Since these are portable, you can hide them in beautiful vases! 

Want more than that? 
You can join my team! If you think this should kick hot waxes and candles to the curb and offer a healthier and safer way to fill your home with a beautiful scent, you found your place :) You can use your membership for personal use, or to build a team. Totally up to you! Click here to learn more or contact me :)

Check out this video to see all the ins and outs of the AirMoji, plus the unboxing of one of the MojiLife kits! 

ENTER TO WIN YOUR VERY OWN AIRMOJI AND FRAGRANCE POD! 

And now....if you got through reading all of that, you deserve a chance to enter to win my giveaway! I'm giving away 1 white AirMoji plus my fave scent, Serendipity! That's over a $56 value! Enter below! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
This giveaway is for those who are 18 years or older with a US shipping address. If you win, I will contact you via the method you entered. If I do not here back from you within 72 hours, you forfeit your win, and I will go on to the next winner. The giveaway ends 10/9/19 Midnight MT. Good luck! 

Thanks for reading and following along with my AirMoji obsession and review! Follow me on my social for sneak peaks, live videos, and fun new things that are going on!

  

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My buffet table in my dining room is probably one of my favorite places to decorate. Not because I like adding my collections to it...but for the main fact that since it's out of the way, it won't get touched or knocked down :) So, I can add to it how I please. This table has seen lots of changes over the years and I think I'm finally at a stage that I am completely happy with it. 

The best thing about it, is that it's functional and pretty. For instance...my bread boards. Probably not so functional, although some of them are food safe, but they are pretty to look at and add that perfect farmhouse vibe. I've started to collect them this past year, and now have around 10. I just love their unique nature and look.  I have even gone as far to make a few of my own, like this one with the white tip. I'll have a tutorial on how I made it up soon! In order to balance the height of the 3 tiered tray, I placed my largest bread board against the wall and just layered the others against it. I've seen dining rooms that have these displayed all along the wall. I don't think I'm ready to do that just yet, but I love the idea! 

 Since it technically still is winter, I decided to add some greens and pine cones on here.  I just painted this terracotta pot, and then sanded it down to give it a little rougher appearance. I placed my place holder winter greens in here to add some color.

 Now for my three tiered tray. This houses a fraction of my coffee mugs. Yes, there are more :) I like to add some little unexpected bits on here to for each season. For winter, it's just the greens again with frosted pine cones. 

 I found this cute little plant stool and wasn't sure where it would end up. I draped a Hearth and Hand by Magnolia tea towel over it and topped it off with some small dipping plates. I think it adds a lot of character to the space. These dipping plates are actually really cute, I didn't get a picture close up, but you can see them here. 

 I love how this whole space came together. As you can see, I'm a sucker for browns and whites! 

 This buffet table is actually two Ikea dressers. You can see the tutorial on how to make these here. It has made a world of difference having so much storage in here now. The drawers house a plethora of things like crafts, candles, paper towels, and extra linens. 

This whole area has seen a lot of DIY projects throughout the years. Here's a list of them if you are interested :)

Shiplap Cedar Planked Wall
Wood Gallery Wall Frames
Printer Style Buffet Table

And where to get all the other stuff :)
Cutting boards: Michaels, hand made,and H&M
Tiered Tray: Similar
Planter stool: Similar
Mugs: Rae Dunn and Amazon
Tea Towel: Target
Striped Napkins: Similar
Square Bowls and plates: Similar

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

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Since I have tried all forms of shiplap, I decided to try a new one! A completely faux shiplap where no power tools are required. Intrigued? 

Well, this little spot in our upstairs hallway doesn't get any love. It's the one spot that usually acts as catch all of school artwork, toys, dirty clothes, etc. I always wanted to brighten it up and make it more inviting. I had ideas about doing shiplap but the molding on the door adjacent to the wall was too close to the wall and actually somewhat crooked. So, then I decided I would do floor to ceiling board and batten. Even bought the boards and everything. That was like 3 months ago :) On a whim, I decided to try something new last night. And I completely love it! It was so quick, easy, and cheap....practically free. Plus, no power tools required which is the best!

Here's the after:

 And here's the gloomy before. Of course, this was at night but it really didn't get much prettier or brighter than this. 

 So, how did I do this faux shiplap? 
First, I painted the wall Swiss Coffee by Behr. 

I then took my level and measured down from the ceiling and marked every 6 inches. I did this on about 4 areas of the wall. I then took a pencil and connected the horizontal lines, making sure they were level. I've done this type of shiplap twice now and wouldn't skip this step even though you can. It just makes sure the next step stays accurate.

Next, I took a black marker, or a sharpie (fine point). Since all my sharpies are not fine point, I borrowed one of my kids markers initially for the bathroom one. Mainly because I didn't know how this would end up looking and new it would be easier to wash away than a permanent sharpie :) With the marker, I lined the level up again with the pencil drawn lines and then went over the lines with the marker. I made sure not to pick up the marker at the end or the beginning too fast since it would sometimes leave a vertical mark. Just took my time with it.  

 On my big wall, it found that doing horizontal sections was a lot quicker than doing whole lines by themselves. 

 I taped off the wall initially when I painted it white and took the lines to the tape. But, I didn't like how undone this looked. So...this is the part that does require some tools, but it's technically not apart of the shiplap :) 

 I took a small 1/2"x1 1/2" mdf board and secured it to the end. I feel like this finished it off much better than before. If you were to do a whole entire wall that doesn't randomly end, you wouldn't necessarily have to do this. Or, if you do a whole entire room, wouldn't need it either. 

 Here's the finished look:

 I can't get over how bright this looks! And be truthful....if I showed you this picture without you knowing how I did the shiplap, you would have no idea it was just marker! 

 Okay. Now for my first initial try at this. I did it in my bathroom. Above the bathtub I did a stencil a few years ago, and truthfully hated it ever since. The molding kept falling off and it was a big mess.

 So, I did the same technique, and rehung the molding...

 And I am in love! Just some lines, that's all it is. I've shown a few people this in person, and they had no clue until I told them. Yep. Like, had to go up and touch it to figure it out.

White ruffle curtains: Link

 Now, here's my two cents. I think this looks amazing on small spaces. I'm sure it'll look great doing this to a whole room. But, if you are going to sell your house soon...I don't know :) I think it would be a big let down to buyers to find out it's just marker. Also, this is something you would have to be willing to repaint your whole entire room if you decide you don't like. Which is of course, totally doable but a big pain in the butt :) haha. 

That being said. I have a big ledge loft thing in my entry way that I am totally going to do this on! Serious. It's up high so no one will ever notice that it's not. Now, only if I can get some nerves to get up on that ledge :) 


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