The approaching Christmas holiday inspired a few decor ideas in our household. The project I'll talk about in this post could be used for decorating your home or as a gift for someone else!

What you'll need:

• Thin, Lightweight Piece of Wood
• Pencil
• Paint (Any Type Works)
• Small Paint Brush
  
• 3M Adhesive Strips with Velcro

I salvaged a piece of wood that is around 36 inches long for this project.

I chose a phrase that was not holiday specific so leaving it up throughout the winter wouldn't be an issue. I like winter decorations vs. Christmas decorations when I can help it to give the decor longer life. 

I wrote the phrase I chose out with pencil on the piece of wood before I began painting to ensure the spacing and positioning turned out right.

Once I had the phrase as I wanted it on the wood, I used a small paint brush and white paint to trace the pencil lines. After letting the paint dry, I hung the sign up with 3M adhesive strips with Velcro so I didn't damage the wall/create unnecessary holes for something I knew would only be up for a few months.

This project took me less than 10 minutes to complete and cost me $0 because I had the supplies I needed on hand. If you needed to purchase supplies, it would easily run under $15, much less than what you would pay for an already completed sign like this in a store. Doing it yourself allows you to choose the saying, create the look, and have a personal connection to the piece - which makes it even more special if you choose to give something like this as a gift to someone you care for!

Here's the finished product in its wintertime space, just below the "clothespin line" I will hang our Christmas cards from:

Over the past few weeks I have been working on some exterior painting projects as I've had time and as the weather has cooperated. I really didn't want to wash out trays, brushes, and rollers each time, not knowing if I'd pick up the project again the next day or in a week from then. 

Here are some helpful painting supply storage tips if you have a project that is ongoing. Both of these tips came in very useful during our renovation and continue to be part of my painting process.

Store paint brushes and/or rollers in Ziploc baggies in the refrigerator until next use:

Place paint tray (I also keep rollers with the tray) into a plastic garbage bag and close:

These methods preserve both the supplies and the paint for quite a long time. It's really a handy go-to when you don't want to keep cleaning, putting away, and then bringing back out your painting supplies.

Here's what we've been working on. We finished painting the exterior trim, doors, and foundation of the house. We're ready for winter...and for focusing on landscaping next year!