No Sew Tree Skirt

I'm sure you have seen the ruffle burlap no-sew tree skirt tutorials all over Pinterest, as they've been quiet the rage the past few years. I love easy (cheap) projects, especially ones that will make a big impact once finished. So, two years ago I decided to make one to go under our Christmas tree!

What you'll need:
Hot glue gun & glue sticks
Scissors
About 4 yards of fabric of your choice (I used burlap)
Old Christmas tree skirt
Bottle of wine to polish off after the project is complete (trust me, you'll want to)

I used about 2 yards in the original tan burlap color and another 2 yards in the lighter cream burlap color, which I purchased from Hobby Lobby. I picked up a tree skirt from the Dollar Store because we didn't have one laying around. Since the tree skirt I picked-up from the Dollar Store had felt pieces on it, I just flipped it over and used the plain side.

You'll want to cut your fabric into strips - the size doesn't necessarily matter, but you want it to be consistent. Also, the larger the strips, the more space you'll cover... In other words, the shorter amount of time you'll spend gluing them to your tree skirt - totally up to you! I think I did about 2 inch strips.

Cut until you have a pile of fabric strips - this is probably the most tedious part of the project, so make sure something good is on TV!

Make your first line of glue, starting at the edge of the tree skirt (you're working your way in). Place your fabric on top of the glue line. To make a ruffle, pinch a portion of the fabric between your fingers and press it down, overlapping the previous ruffle. Then, keep going, adding more fabric as needed, until you have completed your first row.

To start your second row, and the other rows to follow, start your glue line a few inches above your glued on fabric and make your ruffles like you did in the first row. Keep making ruffles until you've reached the center of the tree skirt.

I wish I had more pictures of when I was making the skirt, but this is the best I have!

This project took me a couple hours to complete (plus a million glue sticks and some burnt finger tips), including breaks in between, but I just love how the ruffled skirt looks under our Christmas tree! You'll most likely feel exhausted and have a love/hate relationship with burlap afterwards, which is why I suggest a bottle glass of wine to help relax & unwind - you deserve it. ;)

Christmas, 2013

As a bonus, and since Christmas month is officially upon us, here are some pictures from the past two years of our sweet boxers (excuse their mug-shot-like facial expressions) in front of the Christmas tree, it's tradition :) - you can even see the tree skirt in the background.

Brie & Tyson, 2012

Tyson & Brie as reindeer, 2013

Aren't they just the cutest?! And what good troopers putting up with my ridiculous photo ideas... :)

Let me know if you decide to make a ruffled tree skirt, I'd love to see your finished masterpiece!

Football & Baby Bumps

Over the weekend we took a short trip to Dallas to cheer on the Arkansas Razorbacks.  They played at the AT&T Stadium (or better known as "Jerry's World") against the Texas A&M Aggies. If you've never been to Jerry's World, you totally need to go. This was our second time visiting, but you just never get over that stadium - it's something else!

I can officially check-off two bucket list items: tailgating and attending a college football game. I know what you're thinking... and yes, I have never been tailgating or to a college football game, so THIS was definitely the way to do it.  Even though us Razorback fans were outnumbered by the Aggie fans, I had so much fun!! We got to hang out with my in-laws - which is always a treat considering we don't get to see his sisters that often. My sister-in-law is also expecting, so we had to get tons of belly pictures together. She's seven-weeks ahead of me and is having a sweet little girl. December can't get here quick enough! :)

Although the Aggies walked away with the win, it was a great game that ended 28 - 35 in overtime. 

I felt like I was married to a celebrity - he got stopped several times so people could compliment him on his shirt; he even had two people take pictures of his shirt! The back read: Cardinal & White Runs Deep in Texas.

 

When we go out of town, we typically leave our dogs with family or a friend, but this time we decided to board them. I was a little apprehensive just because we never boarded them before, but it was the easiest thing to do this time around.  So, we headed out Sunday afternoon to pick up our dogs from their Play & Stay - I was eager to see them, but needless to say, they had a blast! I loved that the boarding facility e-mailed me these pictures of B and T having fun while we were away. Oh, the little things...

Warning: Slobber overload!!

We got home, unpacked, and relaxed a bit before the Sunday Night Football Saints vs. Cowboys game. We had no idea what kind of game that was going to turn out to be, but hoped for a good one since the Razorbacks lost. If you caught the game, then you already know we were two happy Cowboys fans! Dallas won 31 - 17. It was a great end to an eventful weekend.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Let Freedom Ring

It seems like the year just started... and now it's already the Fourth of July! I can't complain, though, as I thoroughly enjoy getting together with family and friends, eating good ol' all-American-food, and hanging out by the water - oh and not to mention, some time away from work.

Friday, or more importantly, the Fourth of July, we started our morning with some festive red, white and blue pancakes. Followed by a short trip to the neighborhood pool. Once we left the pool, the weather started to get nasty, so instead of making the trip to The Woodlands' annual fireworks show, we set up some lawn chairs and watched our neighbors shoot them off - which was a perfect end to our Fourth!



Saturday afternoon we met up with my side of the family for some fun in the sun! It was a full boat (dad, step-mom, husband, step-sister, brother-in-law, nephew, step-brother, and future sister-in-law), which also means lots of fun. We only ended up staying out for a few hours, but that was plenty considering it was super-hot.

After the boat, we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening with the hub's side of the family. There we snacked, looked at baby/kid pictures (loved this), and BBQ'd some chicken and steak shish kabobs.

My sweetie as a toothless kiddo!

In other news, our sweet girl, B, is an independence baby! So, we picked up a very special birthday bone for her and T to indulge in. It's a bitter-sweet feeling knowing our baby girl is 5 years old... still seems like yesterday I came home to a sweet, sleepy little puppy.

This is B's infamous I have a toy and I want you to throw it now stare down

I hope everyone had a fantastic Fourth of July!

Hello, Sweet Summertime!

It's that time again - sweet summertime! Summer to me means sun, friends, good food, and good times.  Although we've had a lot of rain lately, I'm totally looking forward to getting out by the pool/lake for some much needed sun.

Over the weekend, the hubs and I decided to try out a relatively popular donut shop close to our house, Donut-licious. I'm more of a kolache kind-of-girl, but holy donuts batman! This place was awesome. The hubs went with an Oreo donut and a breakfast (ham, cheese, egg) croissant, and I ordered the usual, blueberry cake donut and a sausage, cheese & jalapeno kolache. We also decided to go donut-crazy and order the pack of filled donut holes (amazing). That, my friends, is what you call a breakfast of champions!

After our donut trip, we cleaned out one of the guest room closets (which was MUCH needed), and donated all the unused items to Goodwill. Who knows, maybe my next thrifting outing I'll see one of our old pieces. I don't know what it is, but getting rid of old, unused items and organizing makes me feel like I totally got something accomplished. We also got out in the yard for a little bit Sunday afternoon. Didn't do too much, just cleaned up the weeds and laid down new mulch. Looks very fresh!

Today is my big boy, T's fourth birthday! It's just crazy how fast those four years have flown by. He's such a good, sweet boy and I'm so happy he's a part of our family.

I can't get enough of the boxer head tilt :)

 Big sis is always close by (and so is their favorite toy, Mr. Snowman).

I hope everyone had a great weekend, whether it be trying a new place, cleaning up around the house, or just relaxing!



Debut

Hi there! I'm Mel, and this is my new blog. I'm so excited to finally be starting something I've been interested in for quite some time now. My blog interests really fall into the 'everything category,' but I will focus most of my blogging on marriage, life, DIY projects, and home decor.

A quick little into about myself:

I was fortunate enough to meet my soul mate at the age of 17, and marry him at 25. We have now been married for one (crazy, fun, wonderful) year and are excited for the tons of things that lie ahead.

We have two boxer dogs, B & T – whom we absolutely adore! They’re full of energy and keep us pretty busy.

Disclaimer: This picture is at least three years old, and T is at least five times larger. ;)

If you would like to know a little bit more, please check out my About Me page.

Thanks so much for visiting!