Image from House Beautiful

I feel like I’ve been away for months!   I’ve been preparing a new project and it’s consumed most of my time.  Thank you all for your patience with me.  I am very excited to launch it tomorrow and to share it with you all!  While I’ve been working away in front of the computer the past few weeks, spring has been showing up all around.  The trees are almost fully leafed out and we’ve had more rain than I ever could have imagined.  Today the sun was breaking out and I stepped on to our back deck.  Our garden has onions popping up and the bright green lettuce is almost ready to eat.

I am ready to spend some time in our backyard, even though it has tons of work yet to be done.  We bought the house two years ago and the daunting task of fixing up the backyard has stopped us in our tracks.  The garden was our first real project in the back and it is wonderful. We would like to put up a fence but we really struggle with …

My grandma loved vinegar, in fact she swore by it.  She may have said, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” but I think deep down she knew that vinegar rocks.  She always had a few Ball jars of it floating around and I distinctively remember the smell in her house.  She used it for cleaning, pickling, canning and more.  A true pantry staple, vinegar is a miracle worker.

Here are 5 things you may not have known you can do with this simple staple:

Image from Creative Jewish Mom

1.  This is my favorite project where vinegar is a key ingredient.  You can make your own watercolor paints for kids, with just a few items from your pantry.  Check out the How-To on Creative Jewish Mom.com.

Image from Mini-Eco

2.  Make some glue for kids’ craft projects.  All you need is flour, sugar, water and white vinegar.  You can find the easy how-to on Mini-Eco.com.

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Image from Emily A Clark

Hop Hop Hop!  The Bunny Song is playing in my office tonight, with the excitement of having our families over for Easter this year.  I love having parties and family get-togethers, so I’m already in planning mode.  I went and did a little shopping today, but couldn’t really find much.  I guess that means I’m on an Easter Hunt of my own.  One where the golden egg is a house that’s full of spring, joy and small little touches that make the day special.  Here’s what I’ve found for inspiration so far:

Image from Martha Stewart.com

Image from Martha Stewart.com

Image from Country Living

I think I might be able to do something similar to the large nest of flowers, but on a much smaller scale.  Hobby Lobby has some baskets already made …

Image via Chatta Fabulous

I instantly fell in love with this bedroom.  It’s so airy and light, with touches of beautiful bright color.  Here are my picks to get the same look for less:

1 –  Mascarpone and Buxton Blue from Benjamin Moore

2 – Custom Upholstered Headboard from VS Mobley General Store from $500

3 – Organic Cotton Pintuck Bedding from West Elm  - Duvets from $79

4 – Spring’s Charm Bouquet from $29 on 1-800-Flowers.com

5 – Peekaboo Coffee Table from CB2 for $249

6 – RSVP Pink Teapot on Amazon for $13.95

7 – Illume Good Nature Tin from Anthropologie for $16

8 – Twist Green Pillow from CB2 for $39.95

9 – Echo Design Pillow from Bed Bath and Beyond for $39.99

10 – Accent Table from Pottery Barn for $199

To get the headboard look, you can opt for an upholstered headboard in a fun fabric, like the one …