Texas Wildflowers

The wildflowers this year make my heart swoon! Texas usually gets a dose of wildflowers each spring, but nothing in my memory compares this year.  We have had an unusually cool May, and my eyes are grateful for this natural beauty that I made it my mission to capture before the threat of severe weather and tornadoes arrives this afternoon.  As I sought to escape news stories about devastating tornadoes for awhile, I remembered an event from a few years ago that took place precisely where the next picture was taken.

A few years ago, this prairie was covered in red, orange, and yellow, but it wasn't flowers.  It didn't take long until black covered the ground from a wildfire.  I live a short drive from here, and I'll never forget the feeling of my heart dropping to my stomach when I answered the phone and it was a reverse 911 call telling people in my area to evacuate homes.  Looking at the beauty you see here, it's harder to imagine fighting the threat of losing homes and 3 schools full of children.  Thankfully, people were safe, but the devastation was real.

I share, not to give just another commentary to add to the sensationalism surrounding tragedy, but because there is hope of a new day and a new season where life is restored.

When disaster comes your way, don't lose hope.

Keep up, Honey! 

Linking up to The Rustic Pig.

Reclaimed Wood Chalkboard

The most frequent request I have is for chalkboards.  I love chalkboards, so I took my new jigsaw, chalk paint, and some elbow grease and decided to create a supply for the demand.

I kind of have a thing for slanted stripes, so I reached for the Annie Sloan in Old White.  Don't you love the way the white shines off the reclaimed wood? And as for the wood, it is dreamy!

Look at the fun old antique horn & happy mason jar inside the wire basket.

Stay tuned to Howdy Honey on Facebook  for the release of more chalkboard designs.

Keep up, Honey!

Linking up to The Rustic Pig, Three Mango Seeds, Too Much Time On My Hands.

Handpainted Sign in Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Typewriter

I love the lengths my boys will go to make me feel special on Mother's Day.  My husband made me amazing pancakes with fresh blueberries, and the boys' gift made me scream with joy.  They got this girl exactly what she would have wanted if she had been asked!

AND a jig saw! I was so excited that I wanted to paint something for my husband

who declared his favorite color to be Typewriter.

Now, Sean has been threatening to take our Deer Silhouette Painting to his office because he has been asking me to create some decor for his home away from home for awhile now.  He has a faux stuffed taxidermy moose from Cabela's, so whatever I made should be in the vain of lightheartedness.  Since his office nickname is Mr. Awesome, I thought I would incorporate his motto into a sign.

I used a couple of pieces of reclaimed wood that I found plated together in an a-frame that somebody put out for the trash.  SIGH! I am just smitten with you people who throw out good wood to your curb for me! THANK YOU, STRANGER!

I can't wait to see this hanging in my husband's office.

I also can't wait to show you what I'm doing with my jig saw! Adios!

Keep up, Honey!

Linking up to The Rustic Pig, Three Mango Seeds, Too Much Time On My Hands.

Adding Color to Your Living Room

Recently, I have had the amazing privilege to stage homes for a realtor and her clients.  It has been such an honor to be trusted with playing up the best spaces in a home to show the buyer their future home sweet home.  It is always a pleasant feeling to see room ideas come to life and showcase a home, especially when the homeowner says, "I wish I had done this years ago. "

Whether you are selling your home or just wanting to evoke the home sweet home vibe you can feel when you see decorated homes on blogs and Pinterest, I have a few guidelines that will make color breathe life into your living room.  First, let me say I am not against neutrals or all-neutral rooms.  For some people, that is the epitome of comfort.  I have an affinity for neutrals AND colors, and so I'd love to show you how you can make them work together.

Paint Colors

I love bold colors.  I even love bold walls, but if your selling a home or plan to move in the next five years, the best investment for your time and money is a neutral paint color.  Even if you're a bold kind of person, consider that if the entire room is bold, the ability to accent may be lost.  I'll explain more about that in a minute.

Here are some beautiful neutrals by Benjamin Moore that can serve as a great canvas for bold accessories.  Don't forget that most hardware stores can make colors to match, so don't be afraid to ask!

Source: BENJAMIN MOORE

Pillows

The fun of contemporary style is that colors and patterns can mix for a very fun look.  Check out this mix of pillows I suggested to a client.  OH! How I would love these for my own home!

If you know the colors of the rainbow, you can put together a primary kind of pallet with pillows and not have to worry too much about complimentary colors.  Look at the different textures of the fabric.  To create a beautiful room, develop your eye for texture.  For those who are more tactile than visual, you may have to feel the pillows before you develop an eye for texture.  They should all have a different feel to the touch for the maximum effect.

If your couch or love seat seems like it would be full with all these pillows, then remove the pillows that came with the couch.  They might work well in another room, and you could always create a cover for them out of bold fabrics if your mind is set on them staying.

Seating

If your furniture already has a detailed pattern or bold color, you might be thinking you can't work the above arrangement.  If you have a burgundy couch or palm tree patterned love seat, you would be right.  Let me encourage you that if you have a very traditional ornate style, and you're selling your home, consider what kind of future buyer will be considering your home.  A two story with multiple living areas will not likely sell to a retired couple with an ornate style.  No, a couple who is looking to retire may be looking for a condo or one story cottage, so the people walking into your home may be young families looking for maximum space and room to grow.  This is why I am begging you to consider covering your couch with a neutral color.

Separate SEAT SQUARE CUSHION LOOSE-FIT SLIPCOVER - TWILL

Source: Pottery Barn

This surprisingly affordable solution comes from Pottery Barn who has begun making loose fitting slipcovers.  Starting at $99, you can get a cover that will conform to many different shapes.

Another reason for adding a white or cream colored slip cover is that black and white elements are needed in the room to "ground" the color mixture and make it work.

Accent Furniture

You can use an accent color on a furniture piece to tie together the colors.  Check out this ottoman from Home Goods! It even opens up for storage.  All your remote, game system, DVD clutter can go right inside! Insert opera high note: AHHHHHHHH!

I seriously wish I had purchased all of this goodness for my own home, but I hope my client loves it and uses it to sell her home for top dollar.  If you want to a resource for more home staging ideas, I'd love for you to follow my STAGING board on Pinterest.  Thanks for stopping by Howdy Honey!

Keep up, Honey!

Linking up to Miss Mustard Seed, Redoux, The Rustic Pig, Three Mango Seeds, Too Much Time On My Hands.

Rescued: A Coffee Table Ditched at the Curb

I love it when I get a call from a friend who has a good eye for junk on the curb.  Minnie called me with a good score a few weeks ago.  It was bulk pick up day, and someone broke up with their coffee table.  It was really sad.  Not just normal sad, but also because a bird pooped on it.  SIGH.  I know.  Sob story.

Regardless, I knew it was perfect.  That X-base with THAT tray top... I was in love.  My husband didn't mind.  In fact, I think he could totally envision it after I gave it a little love.  The glorious words left his mouth, "I hope we keep this. " My heart was overjoyed.

Here's the after:

It is EXACTLY what this space needed to give that Howdy Honey touch.

Check out the amazing patina! I painted it Old White by Annie Sloan & did one coat of clear wax.  Then, I used a sanding sponge to reveal the black around the edges and corners.

Here's how this side of our living room looks now:

Thanks for visiting!

Keep up, Honey!

Linking up to Miss Mustard Seed, Redoux, The Rustic Pig, Three Mango Seeds, Too Much Time On My Hands.

OH DEER! Deer Silhouette Painting

I have been planning to create this for quite awhile now.  You'd think that when Claire at The Rustic Pig painted her deer silhouette, that I'd have jumped on it because hers is so adorable!

Well, I just haven't had time.  That old chestnut.  But now that it's complete, let's get a look up close! As a total bonus, it crackled naturally and immediately.  YEA!!!!

I painted this frame & chalkboard back in November over an old mirror that I bought at a garage sale.  I used it for a Howdy Honey Facebook sign at Justin Trade Days.  It has sat in my office for months, and I knew I wanted to put a silhouette on it, but I had been planning on putting this same deer on a pillow for our boho master bedroom.  

I finally gave myself permission to use it in more than one place in the house.  I just traced the design on the chalkboard with chalk and painted it with Annie Sloan in Old White.  I am so excited for my DEER ole hubby to come home and find this deer painting greeting him as he walks in the front door! 

Maybe we should name him.  Do you have any suggestions?

If you're wondering about the chair, I am thrilled that this came from my childhood home, and I was able to give it new life so it can have a place in my own living room.  Find the chair before {HERE}.

Sorry it's been so long! I have been doing a few volunteer projects, and I have begun to stage homes for a sweet realtor friend on the side.  What a blessing!

Keep up, Honey!

Linking up to The Rustic Pig.

Easter Basket Ideas for Boys

I don't know about you, but in a house of boys there is certainly a challenge to find boy-friendly Easter basket stuffers.  It's not that we don't have a thing for bunnies.  Actually, my husband and boys recently made the news around these parts, and my husband was dressed up as an Easter bunny.

That's right.  Check these bunnies out! They are bearded to go along with our church's Don't DUCK your DYNASTY series we are kicking off for Easter at Keystone Church.  They did the Wobble and Harlem Shake flash mob style, surprising the public when these crazy characters all came off our big red Keystone Church trolley.  Peyton, my oldest, is dressed as Si, and my youngest has on a Willie-style bandana & camo.  So much fun! So you see, our boys don't do yuppie Easter baskets ;D.

Last year at Easter time, we hadn't even heard of Duck Dynasty, but the camo duck eggs made an appearance, not inside a basket, but inside a Beyblade Stadium.

Sorry for the small picture.  When I took this on my phone last year, I hadn't planned to blog it a year later! This could seriously be deemed a Duck Dynasty Easter Basket.  I filled the Beyblade Stadium with beef jerky, water guns, Beyblades (tops that battle each other inside the stadium), and just a tiny bit of candy inside the eggs.  Ever since my boys were babies, I have never stuffed them full of candy.

This year, I kept with the boy-geared fun.  I used a popcorn bucket for a basket.

That's right.  My oldest is getting a book called Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder.  Gross, but he will never forget it.  The youngest is getting a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle book that comes with 3D glasses.  I hope Phil wouldn't be too disappointed that I went a little NERD and picked up something for our Wii U system.  Every boy is crazy 'bout Skylanders Giants!

Skylanders Giants is a game that includes a portal that you plug into your game system, and these figures become interactive with the game.  When you buy a new figure, it contains a computer chip that adds the new character to the game.  Some even add new levels.  Pretty neat!

Just FYI, if you don't already own the portal (which is expensive), these won't work on your system, but a nice alternative would be the Skylanders Giants Mega Blocks which they have at EVERY price point (starting around $6.99 and hitting around $12, $25, and even higher in increments of about $10).

I snapped a shot of this display at my local big box toy store to show the variety of Skylanders Giants Mega Blocks sets.  I was saving it on my phone in an album for gift ideas.  Pinning works, too.

I also added some eggs filled with dollar bills and quarters.  I don't like buying filler stuff that is cheap and gonna get thrown away.  I don't buy the grass, baskets, bunny-themed-everything-under-the-moon.  It's a green move, but it's also for my sanity.  Guess who would likely be picking up all that grass, the candy wrappers, the bunny shaped erasers.  ME!!! They will forget in two shakes of lamb's tale all that tiny junk, so I just forgo it.  Like that tip? YOU'RE WELCOME!

I did put one box of candy for each boy, so they aren't totally candy deprived.  It's tough when you have a child with a peanut allergy around Easter because so many of the eggs and bunnies contain peanut butter or might have traces of peanuts, so we just go with gummies to be sure.  Some other peanut allergy friendly Easter treats might be Angry Bird graham crackers or Goldfish crackers.

One final pointer- these non-Easter themed basket fillers are also available the night before when everything has been picked over, so you don't have to worry about elbowing that granny for the last Peeps marshmallow! ;D

I would love to hear of your alternative Easter basket solutions! What have you done in the past?

Linking up to Too Much Time On My Hands.