Valentine’s Day Printables

February 6, 2013 By 5 Comments

Valentine's Day Printables | www.motherthyme.comGrowing up I loved Valentine’s Day.  Not just because I would hope to get a little love letter from my boyfriend, but it was a holiday that included chocolate.  At home, we used to do boom boom Valentine’s at the door where you were greeted with a box of chocolate or a fun treat from a mystery cupid. 

Through my twenties and early thirties it was a day I enjoyed with flowers from my husband and a romantic dinner at home.  Now having kids, I enjoy creating a little more of a festive environment for them to enjoy Valentine’s as I did when I was growing up.

I needed to replace my Christmas chalkboard printables I created for the holidays.  I designed this trio of Valentine’s Day printables that are fresh and festive.  I know many of you have enjoyed my printables I have created previously so I thought I would share these with you as well.  They print perfectly for an 8×10 frame.  You just need to click on the prints you like to download them to your computer.  You can print these from your home computer or I send them to CVS and have them printed to save on the ink.  For a few dollars and a frame that I just rotate the pictures out of depending on the season or holiday it is an inexpensive way to add a little fun to any wall. 

Valentine's Day Printables | www.motherthyme.com

If you love printables as much as I do, follow me on Pinterest where I am constantly inspired with printables I come across and pin.  I also did a post back in the fall on decorating with printables on Mothertime Marketplace where I share ideas on on decorating with printables and incorporating some printables that I came across via Pinterest. 

If you use these I would love to see.  You can post a picture on my Facebook wall or email a picture.  I hope these add a little pop to your walls for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine's Day Printables | www.motherthyme.com

Click here for free printable. (8×10)

Valentine's Day Printables | www.motherthyme.com

Click here for free printable. (8×10)

Valentine's Day Printables | www.motherthyme.com

Click here for free printable.  (8×10)

Filed Under: Decorating, Printables, Seasonal

Lemon and Rosemary Simmering Potpourri

January 18, 2013 By 10 Comments

Lemon and Rosemary Simmering Potpourri

Have you ever gone to a spa and when you walk in the smell calms you.  You shoulders relax and the soothing music puts you at ease.  The last time I was at the spa was about a month ago, not for me but to pick up a gift certificate during the holidays.  I wish I was there for some me time.  I could use a day at the spa.  A little mommy time with a mani, pedi and a facial could do me some good.  Maybe I’ll throw in a massage while I’m at it.  The time couldn’t come soon enough to have some much needed relaxation and pampering. 

Until I get a chance to go to the spa, I’ll bring the spa, well the scent of the spa that is into my home.  My Orange and Balsam Simmering Potpourri was popular during the holidays.  Now that the holidays are over, I still enjoy a nice smelling home.  The other day I happen to have a candle burning that I found in the basement.  When Mr. Mother Thyme came home from work he said the smell was overpowering.  So much for burning that.  To still have a calming scent lingering throughout the home without the perfume smell of a candle, I enjoy making natural scents.  This is one of my favorites.  It truly smells like the spas that I have gone to before.  It combines a sliced lemon, a large sprig of rosemary, a few cinnamon sticks and a dash of vanilla.  The smell will transport you to the spa in no time. 

Lemon and Rosemary Simmering Potpourri

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Lemon and Rosemary Simmering Potpourri

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Lemon and Rosemary Simmering Potpourri

A calming scent of lemon, rosemary and vanilla that simmers right on your stove top.

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • 1 large sprig of rosemary
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-2 cups water

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan add lemon, rosemary, cinnamon sticks and vanilla extract. Fill with water so there is about 1-2 inches of water.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and continue to simmer on low and adding water if necessary.

You should be able to get a few days of use out of this before you will need to replace it. Don't forget to turn off the stove if you are not around to attend to it.

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Filed Under: DiY, herbs, lemons, Seasonal

Orange and Balsam Simmering Potpourri

December 10, 2012 By 5 Comments

orange and balsam simmering potpourri

It should come as no surprise when I mention I love the smell of the holidays.  I say it often, and recently mentioned that my house has the aroma of fresh citrus and balsam.  Unfortunately, we have artificial trees.  Yes trees, we have two in our home.  This year, I had to come to terms with leaving the silver and gold ornaments off the trees or they would have become toys for the twins.  So this year thanks to my daughter I now how a tree filled with her stuffed animals.  I cherish these moments.  I had my years of having the perfect tree with the perfect decorations.  What is more important now is keeping Christmas magical for my kids.  If that means Dora and Elmo on my tree instead, so be it. 

Since we don’t have real trees, I like to capture the smell of fresh balsam in other ways.  I don’t like to use a lot of candles, again because of my kids.  Plus I love the smell of natural scents.  The way I get my home to smell so lovely is making an orange and balsam simmering potpourri filled with fresh oranges, sprigs of balsam and rosemary.  I just love this combination it is so inviting and perfect for the holidays.  It perfumes the house so nicely, and naturally.

Obtaining this scent so easy to do and there really isn’t any method or amount, just your preference.  The water and pot will look pretty at first, but it will quickly get dark and the needles will fall off the stems.  That’s fine.  You can keep adding more.  And just keep enough water in the pot to keep it simmering on low to medium low. 

Simple, easy and smells amazing! 

orange and balsam simmering potpourri

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Orange and Balsam Simmering Potpourri

The combination of fresh orange slices, balsam, rosemary, cinnamon and cloves create a beautiful natural aroma for the holidays.

Ingredients

  • 4-5 cups water
  • 1 large orange
  • 6-7 sprigs of fresh balsam
  • 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 6-8 whole cloves
  • 1-2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Fill a medium saucepan with 4-5 cups of water.
  2. Cut 6 slices (about half) and put in water along with sprigs of balsam, rosemary, cinnamon sticks, cloves and vanilla. Take the other half the orange and squeeze the juice into the pot then place in saucpan.
  3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to simmer. And continue to simmer, adding water if necessary.

You can also add in orange slices and sprigs as the day goes on. By the end of the day my pot usually has almost 2 oranges simmering and 10 sprigs of balsam. I let the water level go down so the balsam sits on top the oranges that are emerged in the water. You should be able to get a few days of use out of this before you will need to replace it.

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Filed Under: DiY, holidays, Seasonal

Free Christmas Chalkboard Printables

November 27, 2012 By 5 Comments

Free Christmas Chalkboard Printables

I have a confession to make.  I am addicted to printables.  You know those printables you can find floating around Pinterest. I had printed a bunch of them thanks to Pinterest for the fall and they looked fabulous in my house. You can see a glimpse of them in a Fall Printables post I did at Mothertime Marketplace.

I needed to add some holiday prints to the fall ones that I took down.  I was inpsired after seeing free christmas chalkboard printables.  My kitchen is cream and black and love to to accent it with green and white for the holidays.  I knew these chalkboard printables would be a great addition to my empty frames.  I couldn’t find any printables that were my style so I decided to create some of my own.  They look fabulous and I am so happy how they turned out that I had to share my little DIY printables with you.

If you love printables like I do,  I hope you enjoy these 8 holiday chalkboard printables that I created.  You can print these as 4×6, 5×7 or 8×10 then pop them in a frame and hang on a wall or tuck in an empty bookshelf.

You can easily download them in my recent post I did for Mothertime Marketplace by clicking HERE.

Filed Under: Printables, Seasonal

Spring Cleaning & Printable Checklist

March 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment



Can you believe spring is right around the corner?  Like many areas, we experienced a rather mild winter.  I am hoping (knock on wood) that we won’t get a surprise from Mother Nature with a late winter.  


This weekend we Spring ahead with the clocks.  I love that extra hour of daylight in the evenings.  Already it is staying lighter later and is so nice to be making dinner and looking outside and it not being pitch black.  

Now is the time of year I like to begin tackling my Spring Cleaning projects.  With that comes a good clean on the inside and checking safety equipment such as smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.  A good clean in the Spring and Fall getting in the corners, behind the bookshelves and appliances not only ensures everything is in good working order but keeps the house clean and tidy.

If you would like to see all my tips for a Spring clean plus a organized printable Spring Clean checklist I am sharing all my tips and the checklist at Mothertime Marketplace.  
Click HERE to Spring Clean.  


Filed Under: Printables, Seasonal

Dry Erase Menu Board

February 29, 2012 By 1 Comment

What’s on the dinner menu this week?  How about displaying it on a simple to make dry erase menu board.  

With a few easy to get supplies you can create this weekly menu board to feature what is for dinner.

What I love about this project is you are not using a lot of printer ink (which can be costly) by printing out an already existing printable.  This uses simple black ink and the paper is scrapbook paper that you can pick up at the craft store pretty cheap.

There is scrapbook paper in all shades, seasons and themes.  Create one for the Spring and a new one for the Fall.  Make one that goes with your kitchen decor.  The one shown is the one in my kitchen.  My kitchen is black and cream so this one goes so nicely in my kitchen tucked in the corner.

This is a great way for the family to know what is on the dinner menu for the evening.  Place it on a plate stand or hang it on the wall.  This doesn’t take long to make and is a great accent to the kitchen.

Want to create one for your kitchen?  Check out my instructions at Mothertime Marketplace including the printable for the Menu shown.  



Filed Under: Decorating, DiY, How To, Seasonal

Spring Egg Felt Tree

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

This past Christmas I stumbled upon a cute idea on Pinterest for the kids making a Christmas tree felt tree.  Having one and a half year old twins I was hoping that making the tree would distract them from taking the ornaments off the real tree.  

The Christmas felt tree was a huge hit with my kids that I have created a Spring one for them as well.  This is so much fun for kids to take the eggs on and off the tree and is so easy to make.  With a few simple supplies that can be easily and affordably purchased at craft stores such as Joann this project can be cut and up on the wall in no time.  

To see all the details on how to make this click here to head to Mothertime Marketplace.



Filed Under: DiY, How To, Seasonal

Shabby Fabric Wreath

February 15, 2012 By 1 Comment

I love decorating with wreaths.  I have boxes of wreaths for each season so I am changing them out quite often.  


Small wreaths look so pretty hanging from mirrors, tucked in a corner in a guest bathroom, in the bedroom or hallway.  They are great to have to create dimension and add another element to the wall other than another picture.   

I am sharing how to make this simple and easy Shabby Fabric Wreath at Mothertime Marketplace.

Click HERE to head over to Mothertime Marketplace.


Filed Under: Decorating, DiY, How To, Seasonal

Thanksgiving Table Setting

November 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Our Thanksgiving was filled with fabulous food and enjoying the company of close family members.  

I am thankful for~

My beautiful children.  They bring so much joy to our lives. 

My loving husband.  He is my rock, my best friend.  He is a wonderful father and husband.

My family.  

Good health.


This year I kept the table setting was simple.  I wanted a relax setting where everyone at the table was enjoying the food and conversation.  In years past I usually use china but this year I just used a simple custard color place setting.  The center piece was adorned with garland filled with leaves and berries.  I placed small pumpkins in between the garland and placed candles on the ends.  

Simply beautiful.

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving.



Mr. Mother Thymes turkey.  Cooked in cheesecloth and fresh herbs.  Turns out tender and juicy every year.  
Simple, rustic place setting.  


Filed Under: entertaining, Seasonal

Home Sweet Home

October 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The front entry.
Welcome to our home.


It is nestled in the hills outside of Buffalo, New York.   Everyone says it reminds them of driving up to a chalet in Germany or Switzerland the way it is perched. In the winter with the snow glistening from the roof, it looks like a gingerbread house.  We love our home.

The house was built in 1981 and includes four bedrooms and two and a half baths.  It has a living room, a sitting room (which could also be used for a dining room), kitchen overlooking the beautiful backyard and first floor laundry.

Our “Chateau”.  
The house sits on five and a half acres, most of which is wooded.  A ravine going down to a babbling slate stream runs through the property.

We get a ton of wildlife in the backyard including deer, flocks of turkey, fox and an array of birds to name a few.

The outdoors is our haven.  In the summer months we can enjoy dipping into our in-ground pool, enjoying a glass of wine and star gazing while in the hot tub, relaxing by the fire pit my husband made and enjoying entertaining on our back patio with family and friends.

The fire pit in at the end of the yard before heading in to the woods.  Perfect place to roast marshmallows.

The patio off the back.  Perfect for barbecues and entertaining.  
This is certainly our dream home, and to think we almost didn’t look at this house!  It was the last house we viewed when we were house hunting and I told the realtor I wasn’t interested based on the pictures I saw on the computer.  What I learned was never go by what you see online if you are house hunting!  When we pulled up to this house my husband and I looked at each other and said, this is it!  We didn’t even need to see the inside.  

The inside needed just a little TLC and basically it was just paint.  The previous owners had an eclectic taste in paint color and had pretty much every room decked out with a border.  They were also smokers, so the house had an intense smell of smoke.  Which probably worked in our favor since we looked beyond the smell and the colors on the wall and saw the potential. 

The view from the patio looking towards the back.   

The view from the back looking towards the house.   The pool is enclosed off the patio.  
Within a day after moving in to our home, the smell of smoke went away, thanks to striping the curtains that were hung and washing and painting all the walls.   The house now smells like fresh apple pie baking in the oven.

I look forward to you joining me on Mother Thyme at Home as well as cooking with Mother Thyme as we journey through my home including my decorating, entertaining, family time tips to name a few.  Mother Thyme will be a personal journey of what I create, and time spent with my marvelous family.

The driveway heading down to the road.  
Welcome, come on in!  
Filed Under: Decorating, DiY, entertaining, Family Time, How To, Photography, Seasonal, Shopping