Happy New Year~

2012 has drawn to a close and 2013 is making her debut!  I'm so excited for a new year and the possibility that it brings with it. 









I hope you'll all join me this year as we embark on new decorating and DIY adventures! 



HAPPY NEW YEAR

Article Shmarticle

What's in an article, as in the part of speech?  Is there a big difference between a and the?  These are questions I ponder as I prepare to open an etsy shop this week.  The name Beyond The Picket Fence is taken and although I think it is silly, etsy does not allow shops with more than one name, but I have Beyond A Picket Fence reserved.  I have been Beyond THE Picket Fence for twelve plus years, but only locally...well and internationally on my blog. 

So my question is this: Do you think an article is a big deal?  Should I change my blog name?  Can I have the shop name Beyond The Picket Fence with the user name Beyond A Picket Fence?  While you ponder and hopefully help answer those questions, let me show you some of the things I will be putting in my etsy shop.  Items such as:

wood serving trays

and boxes,

candlesticks,

and signs,

coat hooks and more!

I am accepting any other etsy advice--thank you so much!!

Bonne Année!

I'm still off for a few more days, but wanted to stop by and wish you a happy new year my dear! My only wish for 2013, even if it sounds really cheesy, is a wish of peace, whether between people, countries, or within myself. At peace with my decisions, because when you know who you are and what really and truly matters, making up your mind on something is natural and easy. At peace with my body, and not hurting it with ridiculous diets because it never works and only hurt it. No, this year, I will cherish my body, I will push it to its limits by exercising hard and feeding it with healthy food. At peace with the ones I love or have loved but lost touch with because of distance or because of senseless arguments. At peace with my mind and body. Happy new year to you! May 2013 bring you everything you're wishing for. Xo, Si-

{*Transl. from Arabic : peace} - via

Même si je suis encore en mode "off" pour quelques jours, je voulais passer vous faire un petit coucou et vous souhaiter mes meilleurs voeux pour l'année 2013. Mon seul voeu pour la nouvelle année, même si ça a l'air un peu ringard, c'est un voeu de paix, qu'elle soit entre personnes, entre pays, ou en soi-même. Une paix d'esprit, ou chaque décision et direction prise coule de source, parce qu'on sait qui on est, et ce qui nous est cher. Une paix avec son corps, ou l'on arrête les régimes yoyos qui ne marchent décidément pas. Non, cette année, je chérirai mon corps, le pousserai à ses limites en faisant du sport régulièrement et en le nourrissant de produits sains. Une paix avec ceux que j'aime ou ai aimé et avec qui des distances se sont peu à peu creusées à cause du temps ou de différents futiles. Une vraie paix de corps et d'esprit. Bonne année 2013 à vous. Qu'elle vous apporte tout ce dont vous rêvez. Si-

2012 Highlights - Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! It's so hard to believe that we are almost ready for 2013!

 

This year I did not do nearly as many DIY Christmas gifts as I did last year.  I had intended to do much more, but due to horrible planning I had to go with more store bought gifts.

 

One DIY gift I did get to do were these adorable glitter wine glasses!  I followed the tutorial from Inspire Design and Create!  I made these for Christmas at Mom's house so everyone could tell which glass was their's!  Mine is the hot pink one!

 

 

 

I bought the glasses at The Dollar Tree and use Martha Stewart glitter (used my 50% off coupon)!

 

I also followed the many tutorials online to make some glitter ornaments!  I made these for our dirty ornament swap at work, then I made some to attach to all my presents.

 

 

What type of DIY items did you make this Christmas??

 

Now I have a list of my ten favorite (not necessarily most popular) posts of 2012!

 

Not Yo Mama's Thread Holder

 

 

DIY Chalk Paint - Aqua Curio Cabinet

 

 

My Pseudo Mantel

 

 

DIY Wood Buttons

 

 

Pallet Planter

 

 

Two Tone Wood Stain Toy Chest

 

 

Fall Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

 

 

MyColor by Pantone Paint Party

 

 

 

Bohemian Chic Coffee Table Tray

 

 

Burlap Tree Skirt and DIY Gift Tags

 

 

Wishing you all a Happy 2013!!

 

Cheers

Pallet Wood Sled... in 30 minutes!

Hello Readers!

Well a snow storm decided to dump nearly a foot of snow on my home so I got the itch to show my daughter how to make a sled out of wood! Considering the fact that this was for outdoor snow use, I used pallet wood to construct the frame for this sled, we then applied some wax to bottoms of the skis. In the end the sled worked great! Too bad we got a foot of snow though, the sled worked a lot better with 4 inches on the ground. In any case when the snow melts a little we will be able to sled some more. Enjoy the pictures!

Read more »

Greenhouses Made With Salvaged Windows

Think it's too early to thinking about and planning for spring? Never!

As a matter of fact, now is the perfect time to begin planning your yard and gardens, 
and for more reasons than one. First of all, it's wise to plan ahead and be prepared, 
but even more beneficial  (at least in my eyes) is the lift your spirits get when you
envision the warmer weather, the blooming flowers, and all the other things that
come along with springtime. 

What better way to recycle old windows than build them into a unique garden greenhouse

 or potting shed? Check out what some creative folks have crafted using reclaimed old 

windows and doors, and maybe you'll be inspired to create your own!

I love all the elements - and colors - of this pretty greenhouse

I love the arched windows and old doors used in this greenhouse by Dreyne

10 x 10' Greenhouse built by Linda J & her husband via Hometalk

Pretty garden shed greenhouse

Pretty purple greenhouse via Penick

Salvaged window greenhouse via Apartment Therapy (above and below)

Greenhouse made with recycled windows and doors

Window greenhouse by Angela Davis at Gardening In My Rubber Boots

Greenhouse instructions by Michael Taeuber via Instructables

Reclaimed window greenhouse (above and below) via BHG 

Simple greenhouse made from old windows. I love the red! 

Baby greenhouse by Design Dreams by Anne

Mini greenhouses by Linda at Bluegate

Window greenhouses by North Peace 

Create a tabletop mini greenhouse from old picture frames via Country Living

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What do you think?

Crocheted Hearts Projects

It has been FOREVER since I blogged! I have been really consumed with homeschooling and just keeping up with normal life. Now it's Christmas break and I'm ready to get creative again! Hopefully it won't come to a screeching halt when school starts up again. ;) 

I learned something new and just had to blog about it. I watched a tutorial on YouTube on how to crochet a heart, and after watching, pausing, failing trying A LOT, I finally got it! I've added them to my Etsy shop and can't wait to make more! Find the hearts to make your own DIY wreath here.

I hot glued some hearts to a grapevine wreath for a cute addition to the front door.

I love these non-traditional colors together: cream, red, and gray. Find this garland here.

 I also made the traditional colors: light pink, pink, and red. Find it here. I'm curious to see which one sells more!

 I added the gray one to my pallet gallery in the dining room, and the photo on the bottom was just for listing purposes on Etsy. That one's all packaged up and ready to go to a new home. ;)

 This is now on a crate on my dining room table... I filled a blue ball jar with some epsom salt, added a few branches from the yard, and some hearts on strings for a cute little "tree".

 I have a lot of turquoise, teal, red, and mint in my house, so I thought I'd add a few turquoise hearts on my wreath to tie it in.

I'm totally obsessed. I've always seen people crocheting while waiting places and wanted to learn. My Grandma Doris taught me how when I was little, but I completely forgot how. She was the absolute best. I loved getting her zig zag blankets. She was ahead of her time with the chevron thing. ;) If you don't know how or don't have time to learn, all of these hearts and garlands are for sale in my Etsy shop, Distressed Beautiful. 

One Year of Blogging Wrap Up

Hard to believe we are almost at one year of blogging. Amy and I decided to start a blog last year at a New Year's Party. It's hard to believe that we've done so many projects. The best part of writing a blog means that your projects actually get finished at some point.  That means a lot less projects that get ignored and left behind.  I have to give Rob a lot of credit. He did four out of five of these projects. The lampshade was the only project that I did 100% alone out of all of these. He's been on fire this year. I'm so proud of us hard work and effort he has put into these projects.

Here are our top projects of 2012 according to pageviews:

5. Craigslist China Cabinet Redo

4.Mudroom in a Closet

3.Functional Cabinet Shelving

2.Pallet Coffee Table

1. Lampshade Redo

Thanks for all your support over the past several months. I never realized that we would "meet" so many friendly and amazing people through blogging.  We've enjoyed the last year and look forward to next year.

Megan