Handprint Christmas Tree Wall Art

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We’re finally adding some art to our walls and I love being able to add some for the holidays. Since Charlie loves any kind of crafting, this was the perfect choice for a new canvas for us.

 

Canvas Wall Art Ideas on Hometalk

There are so many things I want to do around this house, but many of those things cost money. We’re not sure how much longer we’re really going to be here, so dumping money into decorating and fixing it up isn’t really ideal. One way we’re able to spruce things up is some new wall art! We pick up canvases often from Michael’s whenever we see a great sale on them!

If you’re not familiar with Hometalk, you need to go give it a look! It’s like Pinterest, but just for home projects! No recipes or beauty, just stuff for the house.

With Hometalk you can create a clipboard and then "clip" your favorite finds. When you see a post you’d like to clip, it’s so easy to clip it and move on to your next find! You can also post questions about certain projects or what kind of paint to use on different materials!

 

10 Tips For a Smarter Home

Thanks to Direct Energy for sponsoring today's discussion.

If you’re like us, you’re always looking for ways to save a little money. Take a look at your electric bill and see what you can do make it a little easier on the wallet.

I’m a stay at home mom now, which means my television is on most of the day (not that we’re always watching it), the computer is usually on, and during the summer/winter the AC/heat is on. When I was working, there were days that no one was home for over 10 hours. During that time, we were able to change our thermostat up/down to account for no one needing it. Since this is not the case anymore, we’re working on other ways to make our home smarter.

One thing we’ve really been trying to do is use more natural light during the day. We have a big window in our living room and with our new blinds, we get more light through the window than we would if the light was on. Remembering to turn the lights off is hard for anyone. If we don’t turn them on- we don’t forget.

Another way we conserve energy is by using our ceiling fan instead of turning on the AC as soon as it gets a bit too warm. The same concept applies to using blankets to keep warm.

Safer Window Coverings for Kids + Giveaway

I received free window coverings in exchange for this post, but my love for keeping kids safe is all my own!

October is Window Covering Safety Month! Did you know that’s a thing? Well, it is and it’s a very important issue to address. Because window coverings with cords are cited as one of the top 5 hidden hazards in the home, we jumped at the opportunity to work with Blinds.com to make our window coverings safer!

 

We moved into our townhouse about 6 months before we were married. We knew we would have children in this house, but didn’t think about everything that entailed house-wise. The blinds that came with the house are what stayed up until just recently. Once we had Charlie, we tried some of those cord keepers for the blinds, but they seemed to fall off and become more of a hassle, so our cords were often draped through one of the top blinds to keep it out of his reach.

Keeping Kids Safe With DreamBaby

I was sent product to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own. DreamBaby has also supplied one for giveaway!

When you have kids (of any age), you want to keep them safe. DreamBaby makes some wonderful products to help us with that.

I was sent the Royal Converta 3-in-1 Play-Yard and Wide Barrier Gate after seeing that we have two little ones. We have small gates at the top and bottom of our stairs and one dividing our kitchen from the dining room.

Warning: My house is a hot mess and this is a real post. I can’t show you real pictures of how we’re actually using the Royal Converta if I clean up my house and stage everything. I’m not one of those moms that keeps a neat house. It’s just not in me. Add a toddler and a baby, it just gets worse.

Out of the Ordinary Ways to Use Dryer Sheets

In the giveaway for the Purex Crystals Dryer Sheets, I asked readers to tell me their uses for dryer sheets. I was so impressed with the responses, I wanted to share with everyone! I had no idea the crazy ways you can use dryer sheets.