Tree Houses!

As a child I used to dream of living in a tree house. Not simple and rustic, the ones in my dreams would be fairly elaborate, including elevators going up the trunk of the tree complete with wrap around porches. The pictures below make me very happy! Although I do enjoy any tree house now.

The TreeHouse Workshop is a Seattle-based company that takes the art of constructing tree houses very seriously. They build an average of one tree house per month and hire extremely able builders and carpenters to construct their projects. Their finished works vary in luxury but some even include fireplaces!

Designed by Lukasz Kos. Posing as a Japanese lantern on stilts, Kos’ creation floats within the fir trees on Lake Muskoka, Ontario, an elegant slatted structure that scales the trees and lets light radiate down it’s core.

Found in Alnwick Gardens is this tree house. At 6,000 square feet, it’s one of the largest wooden tree houses in the world.

designed by Takashi Kobayashi - this tree house is in Japan and was designed for a Nescafe commercial that is shown in Japan.

A Valentine Treat

Today's recipe is so simple you hardly need a recipe! Kids will love this!

Jello hearts! My Mom use to make these for us when we were younger and they were always a hit.

To make these, all you need is some strawberry jello, a heart shaped cookie cutter and a 9"x13" pan. Prepare the jello according to the package then let set in the pan. After it's set, use the cookie cutter to cut the shapes. Carefully remove them with a spatula. Enjoy!

PS: In my browsing tonight I found this fabulous idea for chocolate dipped pretzels at Make & Takes. Go check it out!

Decorating with Red

msummerchick

Since Valentine's Day is only a week and a half away, I thought it would be fitting to feature the color red. Especially, how we can use it in decorating.

Red is actually my favorite color so I'm loving all the photos I found! I'll have to post some of my wedding pictures one day as red was my main color! (Along with ivory and chocolate brown)

My favorite way to use the color red is in accessories around my house. Since having an entire room painted in red can be a bit overwhelming, I appreciate smaller amounts of the color for a bit of drama. The following photos show a few ways to use accessories. In my home, I love to change the accessories for the seasons, a much less expensive alternative to replacing furniture or textiles!

How about pulling out all your red colored books to place on display?

*Cinnamon

Or create an edible centerpiece using strawberries or red apples.
Chennette

Pillows, pillows, pillows!

Better Homes & Gardens

Or, if you can, how about a red accent chair?

Better Homes & Gardens

Some other ideas I use are: candles, cloth napkins or dish towels as a table runner, or red flowers.

Here's a really neat child's bedroom. Love the wallpaper!

Better Homes & Gardens

The following photos are ones that I really liked using paint and accessories.

Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens

What are your ideas for decorating for Valentine's day?

Come back tomorrow to see a great Valentine's day treat for kids!

Go here to enter for a chance to win a handmade purse!

Paper Toy Aeroplane

I found the perfect activity for kids to do in the cold winter months! A really neat hand painted paper airplane! It's even free! This bi-plane is hand painted by artist, Marilyn Scott-Waters.

If you go to The Toymaker site, you can find many more free paper toys by Marilyn. So neat!