BFF Open House Link Party

Happy Friday eve all! Here's to another weekend on the horizon. Weekends are the best aren't they? When someone says "How was your weekend"? my answer is usually : "It was the WEEKEND so by definition, awesome". 

Fall is definitely in the air ( even though temps here are still 100+) so let's take a look at some ideas from last week's party. 

Vignettes and tablescapes do so much to change the mood of a room. I love this gorgeous Fall display from Faeries and Fauna which includes instructions for how to layer your pieces for the best look. 

If you want to bring a little Fall color into your home, love this idea from The Red Painted Cottage ( and I'm in super love with that galvanized basket).

Is it bad when you see an idea and immediately think "Now I have a reason to buy what I just saw at Michaels last weekend"? Does this happen to anyone else? Fess up! My Michaels has a whole collection of labware for Halloween and these Mocktails from From Playdates to Parties would be just the thing to fill the beakers I thought about getting but wasn't sure why and now have a reason to get...I digress.  You could make Appletinis if you want to change this to an adult beverage. 

Finally, I love the vintagey goodnesss of this Reverse Canvas sign from Vintage Paint and More, especially the ombre coloring of the letters. 

Now, let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

DIY All Natural Room Deodorizers

This week's party continues here through tonight! 

My first project in our new home! Well it's new to us but it's not a new house. It's the first time in a long while we haven't lived in new construction. 

Like people, houses have their own personalities which includes smells. This is not to say that our house smells bad, but had its own smell! Coming from the PNW, we're just used to being able to open windows a lot throughout the year and you don't get to do that in the Summer in the desert. I think "stuffy" is a better descriptor. The house smelled stuffy, and I wanted something to address that. 

Being a lifelong asthmatic, I also needed to avoid things that would trigger my asthma. So may sprays, perfumes, cleaners etc. do that. I was thrilled to find an easy solution on Pinterest that used all natural ingredients. Here we go: 

Supplies: 

• Jars: I used 8oz Ball Jars from the grocery store
• Baking Soda 
• Essential Oils: I got mine on Amazon
• Scrapbook paper

This is such an easy thing to make. 

The hardest part of this is deciding on the scrapbook paper you'll use for your lids. I'm a neutral girl so I chose a neutral paper. 

Remove the center of the jar covers. Set aside for future Christmas ornament idea. 

Using the jar rim, trace onto the reverse side of your scrapbook paper, cut. 

Once you've cut your paper lids, place inside rims, set aside. 

Next step is to fill your jars with baking soda. I just poured until they were evenly filled. Then add your essential oils according to how strong a scent  you want. 

As I've tried to explain to Mr. Chocolate, I wanted these to absorb as much as emit a scent. I used a combination of orange, lavender, and peppermint essential oils but I didn't want them to scream "I'm orange lavender and peppermint". In case you haven't read between the lines, he thinks I should have used more oils. 

Once you've added your oils, stir to evenly distribut, then put the lids on. Almost done! 

The final step is punching holes so your deodorizer can both diffusely emit the scent and the baking soda can do it's job of absorbing. I used the pointy side of a basic school compass to poke the holes because I didn't want them too big. And done!

I noticed a difference after having them out the first day. A fresher air smell which is what I wanted. 

BFF Open House Link Party

Eeeek! (no, not a Halloween post). Between continued unpacking and Monday holidays always throwing me off the rest of the week, I didn't have time to do features this week. Will catch up next week. But that doesn't mean we're not going to have a party so please link up and check out what fellow Chocoholics are sharing!! Happy Friday Eve all!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

Happy Friday Eve all and welcome to the last party of August! Can you believe it's September in a couple of days? I cannot. We're finally moved in and manically unboxing. 

Let's take a look at some ideas shared at last week's party OK? 

I'm smitten with the Industrial look that's so popular right now but even DIY'ing it can add up. Would you believe these are PVC? Much cheaper than buying metal and looks just as good! From Domestic Deadline. 

With Fall around the corner ( although this will be a different one for me...first one in the desert) how about a great sign idea from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S made from scrap pallet wood? 

Gold is everywhere in home decor right now but you don't need to run out and by new pieces. Update them, like Repurpose and Upcycle did with one of my favorite things, Rub N Buff! 

Finally, after all that creating, Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies are always a good idea. From A Day of Small Things. 

Now let's see what everyone's been up to this week ! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

Happy Friday Eve all! Hope you've all had a good week. Fingers crossed and next week's party should be brought to you from my "new" home. Been a long process but so excited. 

Let's see some ideas from last week's party shall we?

I'm going to have a lot of wall space to cover so this gorgeous piece from Artsy Va Va caught my eye! Doesn't it look like it could have been found in a Paris flea market? 

I've been in and out of so many home decor stores, living vicariously while waiting to have access to my own day to day stuff, far less seasonal decor. Love these Fall ideas from Master Pieces of My Life! 

OK another fab piece of DIY Wall Art. This time a wall map from Repurpose and Upcycle. I've seen these in the stores and ca-ching! 

OK let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party

Happy Friday Eve all! Hope everyone's had a good week. It kind of flew by for me but in a good way. Getting soooo close to being all settled in our new place! Will be great to have all of my creative stuff surrounding me again. Let's see some ideas from last week's party. 

Let's start with this French Farmhouse Style Vintage Footstool from Follow The Yellow Brick Home. I need to make something like this for my new office. Propping your feet up takes pressure off your back and I sit too much all day and have struggled w/ back problems. This will fit right in with my new office! 

Who can ever get enough pillows? Not me! So this one from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S definitely caught my eye. It's made from  cloth napkins! 

Faeries and Fauna shared this lovely vignette featuring DIY Coffee Signs. Both the style and the fact that it involves anything coffee caught my eye!! Love this tiered stand. 

Finally, these Reeses Pretzel Bars from Butter With a Side of Bread look delicious! With Fall right around the corner, they would make a wonderful Fall treat don't you think?

Now, let's see what you've all been up to this week!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

BFF Open House Link Party : Chocoholic Edition

Happy Friday Eve all. Hope the week has been good to you. There were some really delicious chocolate ideas shared at last week's party and it's been a while since I did a chocolate themed post so here we go! 

First up, how about this Ice Cream Cone Cake from Mrs. Kringle's Kitchen. Layers of wafer cookies and ice cream, enrobed in a delicious chocolate coating! 

Next, love Snickers? Love cheesecake? How about a Snickers Cheesecake from Marilyn's Treats? I think I'll have to make this for Mr. Chocolate since Snickers is his favorite candy bar. 

If you want S'mores but don't necessarily want to do them outside, check out these S'more Brownie Bowls from A Sprinkle of Joy. 

Finally, chocolate and caramel are always a winning combination and these Chocolate Caramel Cake Mix Cookies from Family Cookie Recipes are no exception. Look at that ooey gooey caramel middle!  

Hope you've enjoyed these. I'll "mix" things up again next week. 

Now let's see what you've been up to !

   

    An InLinkz Link-up