exterior house renovation progress: happy painted door & porch furniture


oh, what a productive weekend it was! we spent most of our time outdoors planting (48! oh my!) tomatoes. i also managed to sneak in a bit of painting. 

if you've been following along, you know we are slowly renovating the exterior features of our home. here's a before & after of our painted brick. i finally got around to painting our robin's egg blue door the prettiest terra cotta orange (toffee glaze by valspar).


although the blue wasn't bad, i wanted a color that matched our painted brick a bit more. i painted our outdoor light the same orange color (light found at a yard sale). we also ripped off our storm door with the outdated brass details. we are now saving up for a simple cedar screen door. you can't beat the sound of an old screen door opening & closing.


a front door isn't as happy without a warm greeting. i found the "hello" decal on etsy.  at one recent craft night with a girlfriend, i made the wreath. i love how it matches everything on the porch.


slowly, over the last handful of months, i have been painting our outdoor furniture on our back patio. this space is huge (!) - like bigger than our living room huge - so i wanted to make it pop.


i finished up the last of the painting with this bench & coffee table in a cream & light blue. i also spray painted a couple of old picture frames in matching colors. 


i cannot wait to show you our patio once i finish up a few more projects. it's coming together quite nicely.

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in random news, heather finished my landing page! you can now go to www.nataliecreates.com & have access to our shop, the farm & my blog all in one space! i am so thankful for heather & her many talents. isn't it lovely?!


pssst, don't forget to enter the bella vita jewelry giveaway!
love,
natalie

blog love


big hugs to these guys for supporting my blog. it means the world.


there are some spots left for june! head on over here & support my blog today! yay! 
love,
natalie

bella vita jewelry giveaway!



i am over the moon with excitement for today's giveaway! brandy of bella vita jewelry is a dear friend of mine & one talented lady. we have known each other for several years. i met her when i was co-directing the little craft show. brandy is one of the most driven people i have ever met. simply put, she inspires me. 


her jewelry is amazing. i have a collection of brandy's pieces, including the sweetest custom necklace she made for my 3rd anniversary. her jewelry is unique with a sweet bohemian feel. it's easy to wear on date night or dress up a t-shirt & jeans. when brandy graciously offered to do a giveaway on my blog, i was giddy. y'all, she's the real deal. i cannot wait for one lucky reader to receive a pair of her earrings.


to enter, simply...

3. leave a comment! please include your email address & what/who inspires you.

i'll choose a random winner next wednesday, 5/14! happy winning!
love,
natalie

p.s. can't wait to win? brandy is offering a discount of 20% to any natalie creates reader. simply include the code "chirp" at checkout. xo.

++giveaway closed! jennifer, you are the winner! brandy will email you shortly.++

on the farm









on the farm, we are:

- welcoming the last spring babe. hello, chip! you are just the sweetest. both mama & kid are doing quite well & cozy in their little barn.
- filling baskets with bright blue, green, pink, white, cream & brown eggs. it's always a surprise as to what we'll find in the nest box.
- a barrel full of scraps from the local juicery for our sweet herd.
- sharing our love of farming with the littles in our community.
- borrowed electric fencing (we love our farming friends) to protect the girls from that pesky fox!
- chippy & rusty porch accessories are the very best if i do say so myself.
- goats grazing pastures in search of the best green treats.
- planting, planting, planting. every evening until dark.
- still pinching myself that we get to call this place "our farm." 

tell me. what are you doing in your parts?
love,
natalie

weekend with my grandparents


this weekend my grandparents visited our farm & stayed the night with us. there's nothing quite like sharing your little farm with the farming generation. my grandpa is a retired farmer & i love hearing his stories. during those times, his family farmed to eat. 


my grandparents are amazing people. my grandpa grew up very poor & learned to "keep on, keepin' on," which led him to farming successfully. my grandma is a homemaker, writer & poet. she's deeply spiritual & was crunchy before it was cool. they're lively & fun with so much to share. 


during their short stay, we sat around many tables, breaking bread & sharing stories of their past & dreams for the future. we talked about farming, raising children, books, marriage, faith & so much more. i want to bottle up these moments with these two.

love you, grandma & grandpa!
love,
natalie

tend: favorite perennial plants


i am the weird plant lady. my favorite date nights consist of good food & a trip to the hardware store for diy supplies & plants. can i get an amen?


today i am over at tend raving about our flower bed & my favorite perennial plants. stop on by & share in the plant love, friends. 
love,
natalie

p.s. pssst! don't forget to enter the giveaway for a fun card kit!

studio calico camelot kit giveaway!


i have this girlfriend who's the most giving person i know. every time i am in her town & we share coffee together, she always has a little something for me. last week was her birthday & she's expecting a little one soon. when studio calico contacted me about creating some pretties with their newest card kit, i was just plain giddy. i knew exactly who i wanted to make something for.


when the package arrived with the camelot card kit, my mind began spinning with creative ideas. it was such a surprise to open up this package filled to the brim with papers & accessories in citrus, peaches, yellows & robin's egg blue. 


i am a total newbie to card making & paper stuff in general so i stuck with what i know best - gifts & packaging. i sewed some of my scrap fabric to the bottom of little kraft shipping tags. i then began adding on little pretties from the card kit. those stamps are amazing. with the clear acrylic block, you can create unique stamps. once you're finished, you just place them back on the adhesive sheet. it's easy peasy & fun. why have i not ever used these stamps before?! mind blown. 


above are the tags i made using card stock, buttons & blue bubbles from the kit. now i have plenty of tags (& tons of supplies leftover!) to decorate little handmade gifts to friends & family. 


studio calico was generous enough to offer a card kit to one lucky natalie creates reader! 

all you have to do is leave a comment with your email address & how you would use your kit. i will choose a winner this friday, may 2nd. 

happy making!
love,
natalie

--- giveaway closed! congrats to audra for winning the studio calico giveaway! hooray!

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