Hello friends! I hope you are all enjoying some fabulous summer weather and free time, wherever you may be. Here, not so much. Between the chill in the air and the fact that school just got out, I can honestly say that it doesn't feel like summer at all. I sleep in fuzzy pjs, I have had the seat warmer on in my car almost every evening and I have not put even one toe in the pool yet this year. Too cold. I also haven't had time.

Fabric or thread jams in your sewing machine?  Tired of tangled bobbins and missed stitches? Check out these quick tips and tricks to get your sewing machine to work best. So it turns out crowdsourcing really works!! A few weeks ago, I reached out to let you all know what a terrible seamstress I am and how my machine and I fight constantly . Boy oh boy, did I get a lot of advice. And you know what? It worked!! I employed a few of the tips and this weekend when I sat down with my machine there were no problems. At all.

Looking for a good book to read? Check out my what to read right now list. There's something for everyone.  From WWII historical fiction, to young adult romance, grown up mysteries and non-fiction disasters. It's bound to be an interesting summer. This weekend we took advantage of the fact that the kids were home and schedule free and we escaped to the beach. Yes, I know, we live at the beach, but visiting another beach is always fun. We gathered shells, walked in the sand, shared several delicious meals and I read. It's not something I often have time for, but for some reason when summer rolls around I read .

You don't need to break the bank to start crafting, you just need a few basic craft tools and you probably already have them around the house. This post contains affiliate links. You can check out my disclosure for full details. Think you need a bunch of fancy (and expensive) crafting tools to enjoy your hobby and decorate your home? Nope.  This girl gets creative without the machines or the mats. My list of most used, must haves are just a bunch of items you probably already have on hand, and if not, you can pick them all up and get your craft on without breaking the bank.  Best of all, you won’t need a whole room to store them . You can find many of these items in my Amazon shop for your convenience. 

I am not a big shopper. I used to be, but not anymore. The idea of browsing just doesn't entice me the way it used to, so if I end up in a store, it's because I need something. And let's face it, unless it's the grocery store, I rarely need . However, my kids seem to need things all the time. So last week, I was at the craft store, passed by the dollar bins and knew I had a banner in my future.

Here are 10 easy ways to decorate your home with fabric. Add charm, warmth and pattern in no time with these quick and elegant fabric DIYs. Hello friends! So last week, when I gave you a sneak peek of my in process, summer living room , I received a ton of comments and emails about my little skirted side table. More people were interested in that piece than anything else in the space...which is funny, since it's been a staple in the room for years. It was featured, along with the complete how to, back in 2014, but with so many inquiries, I decided that maybe I should share again.

My living room is getting a makeover. It's not a before and not quite an after. When I was a little girl, my parents were always entertaining. Always. My mom cooked, cleaned and set up for large parties with very little help. Kids are not really reliable (especially a brood of four with a vast age range) and while my dad was great in the kitchen things like bathrooms and dusting were not on his list.