Thanksgiving Table Setting Ideas

Today is the last day of November, so I figured it wasn't too late to show some 

of my Thanksgiving Table Setting ideas.  Plus, my table actually ended up being kinda Christmas"y" 

so the centerpiece could be used as a Christmas Table Centerpiece too.

I had the large vase, added some glass beads, a cream candle, 

tied some ribbon around the vase, and inserted twigs under the ribbon

added 5 small candles, some pine cones and berries & this was my centerpiece

I gave a light coat of champagne gold paint to a few pine cones

and hot-glued them to the middle of the ribbon

another view of the centerpiece table arrangement

I cut the leaf shapes using my Cricut with the Stamping/Estampage cartridge

Stamped the names, added a pine cone & this is what each setting looked like

The table cloth & red napkins are from Walmart, and the gold napkins are from Tuesday Morning.

This is a quote from a card found in my brothers wallet the day he passed away (16 years ago)  

My family had a memory night for him this month, and the quote was found, once again.  

I thought, how fitting for the Thanksgiving Season, so I printed it, added some cute little elements to it, and had my husband read it before we ate our yummy Thanksgiving Feast... 

It now sits on my photo bulletin board (I'll show you that someday too) 

AS A DAILY REMINDER:

To be grateful for all God has done in our lives, 

not to take anything for granted, and to remember:

When God gives it, It is precious!

Hope your Thanksgiving was truly blessed!

Bill Organizing

What I want to be doing is sharing with you some of my "Christmas-y" Delightful Order.  But, before I do and since my last post was on my mail organizer,  I'm going to show you, real quick, how I organize my bills. 

I have found, that for me, this is the best method on Organizing Bills:

The first thing that happens in my bill paying process is the mail gets put into the  incoming mail folder of my mail organizer.

I have three filing systems for my bill paying & mail organizing:

1. Immediate Daily Filing

2. Intermediate Filing

3. Archival Filing

 This is my Immediate Daily Filing System   

I found this great expandable folder at Target & have set it up like so:

I open the mail (standing over the garbage can, for  all "the junk mail") and sort the mail/bills into these dividers as labeled.   I print the online payment reminders and file in here as well.

 About 2x a month I pay the bills.

I have set up a report in Microsoft Excel to help me  track the bills due each month,  as some are paid online & some I don't receive statements for etc.   This spreadsheet works great for me -  I can see what's due and when it's due.

I attach all paper bills behind the spreadsheet, with a paperclip, file in my Bills Due this Month file (in the expandable file) and when it comes time to pay the bills this is the sheet I go off from.

When I actually sit down to pay the bills (2x month) I use  Quicken Home & Business  to track it all in my computer.   Quicken is awesome, I highly recommend it and with Quicken, you can set up reports similar to this one. I just choose to use the above report.

Once I've made payment, I write "paid, the check # & the date" on the statement and file in a file drawer at my kitchen command center located in my kitchen.

  This is my Intermediate Filing System

 

Once a year, I go through this file drawer, clearing it for the new year, shredding what does not need to be archived, and filing all the important files (ie. mortgage, etc) into my   Archival Filing System, which are paper file boxes, stored elsewhere in my home.

That's my way of organizing, tracking and paying my bills.

* UPDATE* I've changed my bill paying a little.  I now use my All-In-One family planner. The way that I pay the bills continues to be the same.  I've just changed to a binder and added a few more things to it.

 Read all about it HERE.
:)

Mail Organizer

This is my personalized mail organizer

and this is what it originally looked like:

I found the folders on sale at Target a few weeks ago 

I bought three of them (they're sold separately & link together)

I was planning on using them near my Homework Bulletin Boards,  but decided this would be a better, much needed use for them.

The top folder is for incoming mail 

middle one holds outgoing mail 

and the bottom one is for outgoing misc. (movies that need to be returned, etc.)

Steps on "Cutesifying" the Labels:

All the shapes were cut using my cricut (I LOVE that thing)  with the Accent Essentials Cartridge.  I typed the words on my computer, printed, cut-out, laminated and  hot-glued them onto the files and  simply cut and  hot-glued everything else and... 

I just had to add some ribbon (I LOVE Ribbon)

I wanted to bring some color to the folders and also wanted them to hang apart from each other, so I used the ribbon to connect the folders.

The side by side's:

The finished piece . . .

. . . totally & conveniently located!


To view the tutorial post on HOW to hang this mail organizer GO HERE


AND get your printable labels in my Etsy Shop HERE

:)

Home Makeover -Part III- Kitchen/Dining Area

This is Part III of a home makeover that I had recently finished.

Who doesn't LOVE a home that feels in order (whether it be from organized papers, shoes, clothing, you name it) or just a little orderly furniture arrangement & home decor.   A HOME can feel "orderly" with the stuff you already have & without breaking the bank.  This is exactly what happened in my friend Janda's home.  She is expecting baby #3 and  wanted her home "put together"  before their new guy arrived.  So I went into her home & did a little decorating.  Be sure to check out her other great makeovers by clicking these links:  Part I - Media Room/Toy Room and Part II - Living Room Makeover

This is the Kitchen & Dining area that got a "Delightful Order Makeover"

Here are the BEFORE photo's of the space:

and . . . 

This is what happened in these areas:
#1 - In the Eating Area:
Remember those green panel curtains from the Living Room? 
I told you that I was going to show you what I did with those . . .
This is where they were BEFORE:

 and this is where they are NOW:

The kitchen table centerpiece got a little "height."  It's a big table and it needed something BIG.  The candles are new, the rest of the stuff is from within the home.  To bring in some color to this area we made a "table cloth" . . . BUT it isn't actually a table cloth, it was a curtain panel that Janda had & we cut it to a square (she sewed the edge)  Oh & the original panel had buttons attached to them, I'll show you what I  did with those buttons in a bit, but first I want to show you more pictures of this area. 

Here is a little closer look at the table arrangement:

 Next,  Janda made an adorable cork board for her kids' artwork, which inspired me & I can't wait to show you A PROJECT I'm working on.  It's an addition to my toy closet, but I'm not quite ready to show you yet (first I have to finish it.)

Adorable huh? It sits propped on a side table (stolen from another space in her home) 

in the corner of the dining area.

 
Now onto  
#2 -In the Kitchen Area: 
Remember those BUTTONS I was telling you about from the orange table cloth (which use to be the curtain panel?) Well, Janda found some green valances from Ross (which matched the dining room panels perfectly) BUT they were a little "boring" so, I simply removed the buttons  from the orange panels & hot-glued (yes, I said hot-glued, not sewed) the buttons onto the NEW green valances for above the kitchen sink... look how cute they turned out. 

Here is a little closer look - Easy, Peasie! You can do that too!

I also gave the upper cabinets a complete redo . . .

. . . and the counters were delightfully organized :)

Another view of the finished kitchen

Okay, ready for the Before & After photo's together?

 
and another . . . 

  There you have it! A kitchen dining area makeover, done on the cheap.

Hope you enjoyed this makeover. I am really excited about some upcoming "things" I've been doing in my own home & I can't wait to share them with you! From organizing to decorating, to SO much more... Stay tuned,  check back often or better yet, become a follower (over there on my right sidebar) & feel free to tell ALL your friends to check out my site. You all are wonderful & I LOVE that I have so much interest in my blog & totally appreciate all my "NEW" blog buddies! Thank YOU!

May you be a little inspired!
Until Next Time,
DaNita

Home Makeover - Part 2 - Living Room

Let me begin by saying WOW!!! I am overwhelmed, overjoyed and overly blown away by the traffic to my site this past week.  Thank You all for featuring me, following me (over there on my right sidebar) and for every single comment. I am truly humbled and more inspired by each of you! You are all the best -  Thanks again!!  

Now on to Part II of this home makeover:
THE LIVING ROOM

Earlier, I posted on Janda's Media Room/Toy Room Makeover.  She's due to have a baby soon and she wanted their home rearranged and felt "put together" before that little man arrives.  Part of the space she wanted redone was her Living Room.  So I spent some time over at her beautiful home, beautifying  it. (I don't know if "beautifying" is a word, but I like it)  

With just a few changes, this space was transformed into a cozy living room

Here are the BEFORE PHOTOS 

Janda bought some curtains (from Ross) and they were exactly what she wanted, as far as style, but ended up being a little too short for her high ceilings. She had some extra red material kicking around her home, so I "redesigned" the curtains & Janda sewed the extra to the top of the panel.   Here are the Before Photo's of the store bought curtains:

 

See how short they are?

Janda sewed & they're no longer too short. Great Job Janda! aren't you proud of yourself? I say, why not use what you have (or an inexpensive curtain) & create a "custom" curtain - for a LOT less than the "custom curtain" price? (Oh, and I'm going to show you what we did with those green panels in my next blog. So keep checking back.)

And here are the AFTER PHOTOS

Items purchased: 

Curtains (Ross)

Orchid plant (Ross)

Red Lamp(Target)

Larger Lamp (Goodwill) 

Small Table (Goodwill) which Janda's hubby spray painted

All other "new" pieces are from other places in the home, 

besides the table behind the couch, which Janda's hubby made.  

Of course, the baby swing needed a "home," so there it rests, in the corner, waiting for that baby boy.  

I can't wait to meet him :)

I don't know about you, but I LOVE before & after photo's:

Take a Look:

 and . . .

MORE of this home makeover coming soon...