Two Ways To Dress Up Your Mantel For Halloween

Usually I like to decorate for Halloween while my kids are at school so that they come home to a surprise. I love to hear their ooos and ahhhs when they see new decorations up. I have all boys, so getting a reaction from them is super satisfying.

However, this year since my kids are home doing virtual school, I just had to start decorating with them around. To my surprise, not one of my boys paid any attention to what I was doing. Haha!! I actually had to tell them to come look at my decorations.

I sought out to decorate in such a way that would get a reaction out of my middle schooler. He is not so easily impressed, and so this was my challenge. My first mantel design, my middle schooler literally said…”eh.” Dang it! He was not impressed. But my younger kids thought it was spooky! What do you think?

Floating Branch Mantel

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I found this branch in our backyard and loved the shape of it. I love foraging my yard for decor! This branch had some leaves attached to it and I wondered if the leaves would stay if I spray painted the branch and leaves black? To my surprise, the leaves are still intact after being on our wall for 2 weeks! Then while the branch was wet I shook black glitter on top. With fishing line I attached it to a hook above our mantel. By using fishing line it gave the illusion that the branch is floating…spooky!

This brick wall fireplace is so BIG that it is sometimes hard to know what to put there. Do you have a big blank wall or space like this in your home, that is always difficult to decorate? I love how the branch takes up so much of this negative space and draws the eye down to the fireplace. And most of all, I love that this project was so affordable! Under $20 for spray paint and glitter!

Another fun way to add a touch of spooky to a mantel is by using black cheese cloth (aka creepy cloth). I found this pair at the dollar store! Then I simply strung some battery operated fairy lights through the cheese cloth to create a little Halloween glam.

Finally, complete the look with black taper candles.

Silhouette Mantel

I have to admit, this was super easy and FUN to create! I didn’t have any artwork or mirrors that I thought were fun for Halloween, so I created my own!

I love this barnwood frame that I inherited, it is the perfect amount of rustic for this mantel. So I painted a house silhouette with black paint and threw a window candle behind it. Then, I piled on the pumpkins around it. (My favorite place to find faux pumpkins is in store Walmart & Michaels)

When I showed this look to my middle school boy…he said “that’s really cool!” YES! My mission was complete! I had impressed the middle school boy!

The fun thing about this is that the light changes in the window of the house during the day…it is so fun to watch throughout the day! Check out this photo of it in the evening…

BONUS

I saw these flickering lightbulbs on Amazon and had to give them a try…

Such a fun and unexpected touch for Halloween decorating!

Disclaimer: I love these bulbs for ambiance, however just be aware that these bulbs don’t really give off light and are not dimmable.

Looking for more Halloween decor Ideas? Check out these 5 Not So Spooky Ideas…CLICK HERE.

Making Your Home Decor Your Own

Where do I even start with decorating for Fall?

I love following Interior Decorators on Instagram and flipping through magazines to see beautiful spaces. But because I love so many different decorating styles, I often feel stumped when it comes to my own home. I know my decorating style is changing as I get older. In our first home, the brighter and bolder the color…the better. Now, I find myself more drawn to traditional and vintage decor. I often don’t really know what I’m doing when decorating my home. But, I remember someone from the show Trading Spaces once said, “just decorate your home with what you love!” I love that advice. The reality is, I don’t want my home to look like a museum or a magazine…I want it to reflect me and my family.

So how do I then incorporate elements of design that I love with my style to make it reflect me?

My simple answer is…shop your home! What do you already have that you love? Maybe it’s something that has been given to you from family, what items in your home are personal to you? Incorporate that into your design!

Plan out your decor for the season

Are you like me and you decorate the same every year for each season? In fact, I have never decorated for fall without using the traditional fall colors of orange and yellow. I love those colors for fall, it’s just what my eye is drawn to. However this year I wanted to stretch myself a little and try something different!

When I first decided to switch up my decor, I felt stuck. Where do I find inspiration? How do designers come up with ideas and then execute them? And obviously, I don’t want to have to buy a ton of new stuff to create a completely different look. As I started asking myself those questions, I began to just notice elements of other designers fall looks that I loved. For example, I stumbled across these images below from Aly and Amber.

Blue is my favorite color. It is all over my house (another way to make your home personal…decorate with your favorite color). But I have never done an all blue and white fall theme before. When I saw those blue and white pumpkins, I knew I needed to give it a try! Aly used dollar tree pumpkins, mod podge, and paper to create them! Aren’t they so pretty?!

My eye has also been so drawn to dried florals this year. I see them all over magazines and in stores. I’ve never really decorated with dried florals, so I thought it might be fun to incorporate. As I was searching Pinterest for dried floral inspiration, I found this creative wall hanging by Amber. It was so unique and fun that I knew I wanted to try that too! So, I decided to merge the two ideas together. Below is the mantel that I came up with…

Shop the photo with my affiliate links.

How To Make A Look You Love Your Own

Isn’t it interesting how my mantel, looks nothing like those previous two looks even though it was inspired by them?! Actually, I love that! Simply by being inspired by certain elements of design, we can create something that is completely unique to us! And to be honest, when i’m loosely imitating an idea (instead of copying it)…there is so much less pressure to create an exact look that I end up enjoying the decorating process so much more!

This look was so affordable too, I just picked up some dried florals from Michaels and the white pumpkins. I already had the candles, vintage glass, and silver. I love shopping my house for personal elements I can add to my design. If you don’t have candle holders, bowls, and stands, be on the lookout for ones you love at places like Goodwill, Estate Sales, and Yard Sales! These are items that can be used differently in your home in any season!

I imagine my mantel might change more this fall because we are home so much! I get tired of the same ole same ole, easily! By not spending a ton of money on this one look, I feel good about the possibility of switching it out later, or adding something different to it (like a vintage mirror) later on!

Where are you finding inspiration from this September?

Dried Floral Hanging Tutorial

Supplies:

-Stick from a tree (however long you want your hanging to be)

Yarn or Jute Rope

Dried Florals of your choosing (I used 2 bundles of dried florals from Michaels)

Neutral dried or faux stems (I have wheat grass and eucalyptus stems in mine)

Or you can forage your yard to make this even more cost effective!

Floral wire

Wire cutters

STEP 1: Tie one end of the rope around the end of the stick. Tie the other side of the rope to the opposite side of the stick. Take note of the amount of slack in between both ends of the rope to make sure it is how long you want it to hang.

STEP 2: Take your neutral and faux stems and attach them to the stick with wire. I started by attaching the left side first and then did the same thing to the right side of the stick. This keeps your floral hanging balanced on both sides.

STEP 3: Use your dried florals to add pops of color and attach with wire.

• I found it much easier to attach the florals to the stick while it was hanging. I had a nail on my mantel already and just hung it from there while attaching the florals.

Happy Fall Decorating Friends!

For more Fall themed home decor click HERE

The 5 Minute Rainbow Project

How are you doing friends? If you are like me, you probably have up and down days. It is like I am going through a grieving process. Tears come in waves, and joy comes in waves too. I try to get outside to let the light shine on my face every day, and I’ve actually been exercising to help boost my endorphins. Exercising has alway felt like a chore. But I finally found a workout that I enjoy! This workout is so good for any level of fitness. If you want to try something new they are offering a 15 day free trial (click HERE). Also, being creative in some way has been helping me find new joy too. This social distancing bucket list helps me get out of a rut when I need to do something creative. It has been a bright spot, helping me to engage my children and infusing some fun into our everyday! We have almost completed everything on it, so be looking for our bucket list 2.0 soon! However, the brightest spot for me in all of this has been our morning family devotions! We started going through this book that has short bible stories in it. Each story instills values such as compassion, courage, kindness, self-control, and so many others. After each bible story there are questions to think about regarding the values shown in the bible story. This book is sentimental to me because it is what my parents used with us as kids! I recommend it for school aged kids!

As the news seems to worsen day by day, I find myself needing to remind my heart to hope. That is why I took extra notice when I saw rainbows popping up in windows in our neighborhood. Have you seen rainbows appearing in windows around your neighborhood? Rainbows have always been a symbol of hope, that is why God sent a rainbow in the Bible. I am loving this trend, and have been wanting to hop on board to share hope!

But honestly, sometimes projects feel daunting these days. So when I came across this easy, no mess way to paint a rainbow on your window…I had to try it! You are not going to believe where I first saw this idea. Don’t roll your eyes at me, but it was on TikTok! Yes, these desperate times made me sign up for TikTok this week! Haha! To my surprise it has actually infused a lot of FUN into my day, and no the app isn’t just for dancing! So I tested this new app out and made a tutorial on how to make this no mess rainbow window! Check it out…

@laurie.schultz

A fun and easy way to paint a rainbow on your window and spread hope. ##windowpaint ##rainbowwindow ##spreadhope ##artprojects ##diy ##craftymomcreative

♬ My Heart Went Oops - Tiagz

Let me break it down for you…

What you need:

Household Sponge

Paint (I used craft paint, but any paint will do!)

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Steps:

Step 1:

Squirt a vertical line of each color of paint onto your sponge from left to right (ROYGBIV).

Step 2:

Slowly wipe your sponge over your window in a bow pattern (applying medium to light pressure, avoid squeezing to hard so the paint doesn’t drip).

Step 3:

Didn’t get it right on the first try? Go over it a second time! Actually when I did this a second time, it blended the colors a little more beautifully! Don’t be afraid, go for it!

Step 4:

Sponge or paint some puffy clouds underneath! Step back and enjoy watching how the sun illuminates your rainbow from the inside and outside!

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5

How has your community been spreading hope?

The Best House Plants For Beginners | Tips & Tricks

It’s that time of year when I start to really crave warmer weather, sunshine, and flowers. However spring just can’t make up its mind. So to usher spring in quicker I have started filling my home with plants!

Last year I became a plant mom for the first time! I had been wanting plants and thought i’d probably not have much luck with keeping them alive. However, I am happy to report that many of them are still with me today! Not all of them survived, but I have learned a few things along the way that I thought might be fun to share with you!

Plants I have kept alive

(photos of these plants are above and are in order from left to right)

Monstera/Split Leaf Philodendron- It looks like a monstera but it is actually called a split leaf philondenron and it is perfection! This plant has done me no wrong. It has been a happy little plant and is loving it’s bright light spot on our hearth.

Peace Lily- This plant was so beautiful up until a few months ago! I think I overwatered it and it started to brown on its leaves. However, new growth keeps happening so I think it is on the mend! Also, this plant had beautiful white lilies on it when I bought it, but they browned and so I simply trimmed them off. I love it’s big leaves all on it’s own.

Snake plant- you can’t kill this thing. I have overwatered and under-watered this thing and it WILL NOT DIE! If you are nervous about becoming a plant mom, try this one! Also, it can do well in low light!

Fern- this baby is wild but I love it! Every time I think I have killed it, it keeps growing! I simply cut away the brown leaves when they show up and it seems to be happy about that. This baby likes moderate light.

White Nerve Plant- I love the white vein detail on this plants leaves. It tends to like low to moderate light and to not let the soil dry out completely in between waterings.

Dracaena- I feel like this plant is going to die on me at any moment, but then it doesn’t. It prefers to have moist soil and not let the soil dry out. So I sometimes water it more than once a week. It also likes moderate light, next to a window.

Pothos- Everyone says pothos are easy plants, however mine is not thriving. I love this thing and I think I need to repot it, but am nervous about that! It prefers moderate light also even though it said it could handle low light. It’s leaves are so pretty…I am determined to get this thing thriving!

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Plants I have killed

Croton- This is a beautiful plant that I keep replacing, however it has not done well in the winter months for me inside. This plant has become diseased twice on me and I think it actually prefers being outside on our porch. I moved it outside back in December (on a covered porch), and to my surprise it is still kicking.

English Ivy- This was also supposed to be easy to keep alive. I’m not sure what happened, maybe I over watered it or it wanted to be repotted? I bought this plant twice also, and killed it twice.

Succulents- I think my lethal mistake was putting them in a plant with no hole in the bottom. But they did thrive for a few months before they bit it.

Tips and Tricks

• Make sure you know where you want to put your plant before you buy it. Does that space get lots of bright light (next to a window), or is it low light (far from a window)? Look at the tag before you buy the plant, it will tell you what type of light the plant prefers and how to take care of it. Also, don’t be afraid to move your plant around if it doesn’t seem to be thriving in a certain location!

• If a room or space has no windows or not a lot of light, it’s best to opt for a fake plant. This is how I killed a few plants before heading out to get some realistic faux plants. Also, if you have real plants in your home…the fake ones look more real!

• Buy larger more well established plants. I seem to have better luck with larger plants living longer and thriving. Larger plants don’t outgrow their container and don’t need to be repotted as often.

• Make sure the container your plant is in has a hole in the bottom. The plants I have killed quickly are plants that have not had a drainage hole in the bottom of its pot. This is key so that even if you over water it, the extra water has somewhere to go. Plants don’t like to sit in standing water.

• Something to be aware of when choosing plants is that some plants are toxic if your pet or child eats the leaves. Make sure to check the toxicity of your plants and be aware in order to keep your kids and pets safe!

When should I water?

The best way to kill plants is to over water them. Most plants only need watered 1x week or when you stick your finger in the soil and it is dry. So pick a day and time to water! Sunday is my water day, but Water Wednesday is a great way to remember too!

Where should I put plants?

Plants instantly make a space feel more cozy. Every room can easily take a plant somewhere in it! Think…

Mantel

Entryway

Side Table

Window Sill

Hearth

Bookshelves

I want plants but can’t afford them right now!

Have no fear, bring the greenery in from your yard! I have been clipping leaves off of my bushes when I just need a little extra green around my house! Depending on the variety, some leaves will keep for a few weeks (in water), while others need to be refreshed every week. Have fun experimenting!

Greenery from an outside bush, and Azaleas!

Affordable pots

The most affordable pots I have found are from Walmart and even Kroger! Keep your plants looking uniform in your home by choosing all one color pots! I love using concrete pots. There are so many fun shapes and textures but when grouped together they still go together. Another idea is to buy cheap terra cotta pots at Lowes or Home Depot and paint them! Check out this terra cotta inspo from Liz Marie Blog!

***Don’t get discouraged when you kill a plant! Even expert gardeners kill plants! It just happens, and it is a learning process! Have fun!

Instilling Thankfulness In November Will Carry Gratefulness Into December

November first has come and gone, and before you know it, it will be December.  But let’s not rush November.  Yes, I may be decorating for Christmas already (I have my reasons) but I do believe November has some true gifts in it.  My kids have naturally started talking about Christmas and all the things they would like.  This early Christmas talk always alerts me to the need to be extra intentional about November.  I find myself asking: 

What do I want my kids and myself to NOT miss in November?

This month can actually be a very sweet gift before the hustle and bustle of December.  November can be a time for pause and gratitude.  After all I do not want this month to be consumed with a laundry list of “I wants.”  Rather, I want a laundry list of “Thanks” coming out of my kids mouths.  So how will I make this a priority?  A laundry list of thanks doesn’t exactly come naturally to a child (or an adult).  

The best way I have found to instill thankful hearts into my kids is by making a thankful tree.  My kids get involved with making it, some years it has been painting a tree on butcher paper, and last year it was creating a live thankful tree.  This year, I wanted it to be a bit simpler.  So…we are making thankful garland. I love this practice because it is an interactive lesson on gratitude and my kids don’t even realize it!

Source: wood leaves, wood circles


Every evening at dinner during November, I ask my kids to write one thing on a leaf that they are thankful for.  Then we all go around and say what we wrote.  This has become a fun tradition that our kids look forward to!  What an awesome opportunity to really dig deep into your hearts together as a family, and see all the things we have to be thankful for.  I do believe that thankful hearts will breed thankful mouths.  

I think that verse is so powerful.  What we dwell on is eventually what comes out of our mouths.  As our family dwells on everything we are thankful for in November, my hope is that thankfulness will flow more naturally from our hearts into this holiday season.  As a result, may our practice of thankfulness in November prepare our hearts to receive the love and sacredness of December.  

And even more than that.  May our thankful hearts compel us to look beyond ourselves and to see with clearer eyes who is hurting.  May we be ready and willing to meet the needs of those our eyes and hearts are opened to.  Planting seeds of thankfulness and gratitude in November can be so meaningful. Isn’t it amazing the gifts we can give our kids and family with just a little bit of intentionality on our part?!

What do you feel inspired to instill into your kids this November?

5 Not So Spooky Halloween Decor Ideas

I am very particular about the Halloween decor that I like. If I had to describe my Halloween decor style it would be “Not So Spooky & Glam.” Here are 5 ways to decorate that will for sure get oooh’s and ahhh’s from your kids.

1. Go Batty

Source: Hobby Lobby

You will not believe the price…$1.79 for 12 bats, thanks to Hobby Lobby! My kids love to help put bats all around our house, and I kind of love how they place them in such random places! But let’s also be honest, I love to make my own display of bats that lead them flying off together somewhere! You can get so creative with this simple item!

2. Dress Up Your Family Photos!

My kids got a kick out of seeing masks on their photos! There are so many fun things you can add to photos:

• princess hats

• santa hats

• googly eyes

• a wig

• mustaches

• big lips

  *simply attach with masking tape

3. Place Glittery Creepy Crawlies Around

Source: Amazon

These window clings are perfect to decorate your kitchen cabinets with too! I actually purchased my set last year, and was able to use them again this year! And since they are glittery…they add a little glam to the space too.

4. Black Cloth and Candles

Source: Family Dollar, Hobby Lobby

I was so excited to find this black cloth at the dollar store! As you can see, it really doesn’t take much to add some not so spooky decor to your home! Pairing black taper candles with some vintage brass candlesticks (i’ve found some of these at goodwill, and antique shops) adds some glam and shine thus lightening the mood just the right amount.

5. Pumpkin Pile

Source: Christmas Tree Shops, Kroger

Simply piling a bunch of pumpkins together in a space around your hearth, entryway, or end table will add to a cozy and not so spooky Halloween feel. This decor can also easily carry over into Thanksgiving!

I love how simple decorating for Halloween can be! Even just adding the color black and orange around your home can create a festive atmosphere. Have any other not so spooky ideas? I’d love to hear them!

Creating A Seasonal Gallery Wall How To

I was so inspired by Layla’s gallery wall over at Lettered Cottage that I had to try it myself. Layla’s gallery wall was unlike anything I had seen before with her layered design. I have been hoarding many photo frames for years, and my husband kept threatening to get rid of them…so I felt ready to try this family gallery wall!

1. Gather Frames Of Any Kind!

   Any size, shape, and really any color will do! As I was researching gallery walls there are so many different thoughts on how to make one look cohesive. Some designers suggest using the same frame, some suggest keeping it all black and white photos, and others say do whatever you want! Since my goal was to create a fall themed gallery wall, I decided any frames would do. My cohesive look would be centered around fall. Also, I tend to like a more nontraditional look anyways, so using the frames I had was the perfect fit to achieve a more eclectic design.

2. Lay Out Your Frames On The Floor To Decide How to Arrange Them

   Before I even had photos for my frames, I decided to figure out how I wanted them arranged on my wall. So I simply laid them on my floor and took a photo of what I liked. My arrangement looked best when I had similar color frames spaced evenly throughout the gallery. That way your eye continues to move across the whole wall and does not get stuck in one place with a large grouping of the same color frame.

3. Order Your Photos Based On The Size Frames You Have

Once I had my frames laid out, it was easy to know how many 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10s I would need. I always recommend to my photography clients using MPIX for their printing needs. They offer high quality photos at a reasonable price and ship quickly and directly to your home! Especially when you are going to display photos, I feel it is important to have accurate color quality in your images. Mpix allows you to choose from a variety of sizes as well, making ordering fast and easy!

4. To Achieve The Layered Look Order a Frame Riser

Hurry! I found this riser on clearance at Pottery Barn! For $6 it is totally worth it! This particular riser stands out from the wall 4 inches. I love how this adds dimension and interest to a grouping.

5. Hang Your Photos!

You’ve done all the hard work of figuring out your arrangement and ordering the right size photos! I found it easiest to hang the frames on the wall while I waited for my photos to arrive. Then, once my photos arrived I simply took the frame down and popped the photo in!

6. Add some NonTraditional Items Into Your Wall Gallery

To make my gallery wall even more seasonal and interesting to the eye, I added a cowboy hat and a small antique doll chair (that I inherited from my family). For Christmas I’m excited to change out the art and photos to a Christmas theme!

I have only ever made one family photo album and I have taken thousands of photos over the years! This was so fun to print photos that have never been printed before and to have my kids see them for the first time. I love how excited my kids get when I hang new photos of them. I think it is affirmation for them that they are so loved and treasured.

My Plate Wall Fiasco: What Not To Do

Oh precious Pinterest and magical Amazon…sometimes you fail me. Why I am always looking to cut corners on projects, I do not know. I also do not like to follow rules. I will do it my way and it will be better than your way, thank you very much (except not really, i’m like a toddler sometimes…always learning the hard way).

It was really a very simple quest. I wanted to hang dinner plates on my wall, and for some reason I became very against using the proper hanging tools. I thought, there had to be a better way! A quick Pinterest search revealed a creative genius who had used safety pins and a hot glue gun (sound crazy? Yes, crazy is right up my alley) to hang their plates. This plate hack worked for about a day until my plates came crashing down off the wall traumatizing all of the children in my home. So, I apologized to my family for the startle and then searched Amazon for a sticker product that would surely get the job done. Wrong again, 1 hour after putting the plates back on the wall my precious goodwill plates (50 cents a piece, who cares if they break?!) came crashing down again. My bad.

Well, after Pinterest and Amazon fail you there is really only one person to turn to. Martha freakin Stewart! Surely, she would not fail me. And she didn’t. Martha of course uses the proper plate hangers to hang her plates on the wall. So, I conceded and picked some up at Lowes for super cheap and it made me wonder why I was so against this option in the first place?!

Thank you Martha. I should know better than to doubt you. After all you were Pinterest before there was Pinterest!

What Not To Use To Hang Plates On a Wall:

Safety Pins

Hot Glue

Stickers

What To Use To Hang Plates On a Wall:

Plate Hangers

Other Helpful Tips When Creating A Plate Wall:

-Scour thrift shops for plates to hang (I love the idea of mixing a bunch of white plates with different shapes and patterns).

- Hang plates in odd number groupings, this helps create an interesting pattern.

-Use plates to frame cabinets, group them together above a buffet, or hang them vertically on a narrow wall.

-Change out your plate wall seasonally by simply adding a few seasonal plates into your display

If you give the plate wall a try, I’d love to see it! Will you send me a photo?! Let’s share inspiration!

Thankful Tree

It started with drawing a tree on butcher paper and hanging it on a wall several years ago. Every year during the month of November our kids have looked forward to putting what they are thankful for on the “thankful tree”. This year I knew we needed it bigger because we are hosting Thanksgiving in our home. So, I came up with the idea of a real thankful tree! Part of me knew I didn’t want to decorate for Christmas yet, and so really it was an excuse to be able to put twinkle lights in my home! But, I love the way it turned out!

If you are wondering if this design is one year old proof…it’s survived so far! Thankfully most of the branches are taller than him! Here my one year old (Finn) is holding a leaf that his 4 year old brother made saying that he was thankful for him (written by me, of course).

Here is how I made it:

• Thanks to the tropical storms we’ve had this fall, I had many branches to choose from in our yard. So I tried to choose a branch that was about 7 ft tall, and had many branches shooting out from it. Then I removed all the moss and leaves off of it.

• I then placed my branch in a bucket and poured concrete into it. My branch was leaning up against a wall outside so I could stabilize it where I wanted it. Then, I added some water following the instructions on the concrete bag. I let it dry for 24 hours and then brought it inside.

• I found some twinkle lights and wood leaf cutouts on Amazon! Fun story: These were supposed to be shipped together but then never showed up after 5 days! So Amazon issued me a refund, and guess what…they showed up 2 days later! Yippee!!

• I made a Instastory of how I made this if you would like a visual! Check it out!

I love how this tree has become a focal point in our home…it is inspiring more thankfulness in all of us, and adding some twinkle to the holiday!

African Baskets as Wall Art

African Basket Wall Art

Baskets are all the rage recently, and I am definitely a fan too!  I fell in love with these colorful handmade baskets on my first trip to Rwanda.  Rwanda is a tiny country (the size of New Jersey) in East Africa surrounded by Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

If you love these baskets too, they can be purchased by clicking on the photos below.  I made sure to link a company that uses fair trade practices.  It's truly impressive to see artisans hand weave these baskets, and I love supporting companies that give there artisans fair wages so that they can support their families!  It really is a win win to collect these!  

When I first laid eyes on these beauties I immediately knew they had to be displayed on a wall!  All the different colors and designs on them are so gorgeous, and I wanted to just sit and stare at them.  

In arranging the baskets I knew I wanted them out of arms reach from my kids.  I also thought arranging them in an unexpected pattern would be fun too!  So I dreamed up...the wave.  

In order to create "the wave" I laid out the baskets on the floor and created the pattern.  I soon realized in order to create a wave I would need baskets smaller in size as well (thank goodness I picked up some smaller baskets too!).  

Here is the finished product...

I love sitting here and staring at all the baskets, I still can't decide on which basket is my favorite?!  Are you drawn to one in particular?  I'd love to hear!  Also, let me know if you think I should give one away on my instagram feed?!  I "might" have one to spare!  Maybe. Maybe. ;)