BEFORE tour of the #AnglinAbode

I sure hope you, my lovely blog readers, are prepared for LOTS of house posts from here on out! Truthfully, I love a good before and after and really want to document the renovation process well- and this little space is the best place to do it!

This is our 3rd home to purchase, and though it happened pretty quickly, we had been pondering it for a while. I have always been an old-home lover, and preferred fixing up an existing home rather than building a new one. There is something really special about the unique nooks and crannies, creaky old floors, and history of an old home to me. So for several years, Shawn and I have been talking about buying an older home to buy and make ours- keeping consideration for the original features and personality of the home while adding in some modern conveniences.

We absolutely loved our old home (photos in my last post), but we’d reached the point where we were hesitant to make any more improvements to the home, lest we over-invest in the property and not be able to get our money back when we sold. So, we had our eyes on a few different neighborhoods in our city- ones where we believed we would be able to invest a good chunk of change into a home and still see a return.

Thankfully, one of our best friends is a realtor (and a killer one at that! If you need one in the Lubbock area- Jim Archer is your guy!), and was very patient with us as we would randomly text him Zillow listings, asking for his thoughts on a property- yes, we were THOSE people, haha. After a while, Shawn and I decided we needed to quit our Zillow hobby and just be content.

Sure enough, one Saturday a couple of months ago, Jim called us and said he had found a house that might work for us. We’d already seen the listing, and weren’t super excited about it, but we went to see it anyway because it is in one of our favorite neighborhoods. Seeing it in person didn’t help our attitudes about it. It was sort of hodge-podge, as many homes in this neighborhood are, and had been renovated maybe 2 or 3 times already- none of which was in our taste.

So, we pulled out of the driveway with kind of a “bye, Felicia!” attitude, and then turned the corner to see the perfect view of one of our favorite parks- literally a block away. And then the more I thought about it, the more I was able to have a vision for what we would do to make it ours- to pull it together to feel cohesive and cozy.

The location is one of the biggest perks- as well as the fact that we are getting an additional living space, another bathroom, and 4th bedroom. The square footage is still about the same as our old home, but the backyard is nice and large with big trees.

But I knew I’d want to do some big-time renovations. Like, an entirely new kitchen type big. And completely redoing all the bathrooms, plus at least one other project in each room. So the numbers had to work. Shawn and I had already decided that the proceeds from our 2nd home needed to cover all the down payment/purchasing expenses of our new home PLUS the entire renovation budget, which is a lot to ask. We ran lots of numbers and several different scenarios. Jim was super helpful with this and it was really nice to have an outside opinion that understood our overall goals in purchasing this home.

We put in an offer. They countered. We countered again, and they accepted. And suddenly, we were buying a home!

Our main goals for this house are:

1. Make a great investment. Don’t over-invest in the property- be smart with our renovations and improve it so that we are able to sell it (if we want to) for a profit.

2. Make a great home for our family. So much of this purchase was about the neighborhood. We are SO excited to be close to 2 parks and a coffee shop, plus a lot of other families with kids the same age.

3. Create a welcoming space for others. We believe that this never would have worked out had God not gone before us in it- and want our home to be a place where people feel God’s presence.

4. Create functional workspaces for both Shawn and I. Since we both office from home, this is also a priority and boy have we realized that during quarantine! Ha!

We chose to go ahead and start with the kitchen and flooring renovations first, move in with my parents for a few months, and put all of our stuff in a storage unit. We had been warned that living through a kitchen reno isn’t for the faint of heart- and because we had the option of staying with my parents, we took that opportunity quickly! So thankful they are willing to put up with 5 more people in their home.

So without further adieu, here are the “before” photos of our new home!

I wasn’t able to get a straight-on view the day I took photos, because there was already a dump trailer in the driveway- ha! I love the wide porch, circle drive, and large pew that the previous owners left on the front porch. In this photo I’d already moved all my plants over.

Front entryway.

Front entry hallway. This is actually a very wide hallway that I really want to make great use of.

Front bedroom. I am thinking this will be the guest bed/my office. I love the light in here!

Front living area. We are hoping to put Shawn’s desk and a small living/tv space in here.

The front entry hallway ends in this room which is the back living space. It was originally the back porch of the house.

The room is open to the kitchen.

Another view of the kitchen. The door on the right is the master bedroom.

Looking into the kitchen/back living space from the east hallway.

This is an odd little sitting area off the master bedroom. To the left of this window is the master closet.

Opposite view of the sitting area. The door on the right opens to the front bedroom closet which is a bit odd.

Master bedroom

Master bath- this is through the left door in the above photo.

Laundry room- this is through the right door in the master bedroom photo. We moved over our deep freezer and Christmas tree- that is not a body bag! Haha

East side hallway- connects the kitchen to the kids’ bedrooms and guest bathroom.

Back bedroom

Small ensuite bathroom in the back bedroom.

Hall/Guest bathroom

Front bedroom

And backyard! We moved all of our “outside stuff” over, so it is a bit of a mess right now.

Planning on lots of sweet memories here!

There you go! Next up I’m going to show you the work that has already been done- our contractor did NOT mess around getting started!

Tell me what you think! What do you like best? What would you get rid of first? If you want a sneak peek of what I am envisioning, come follow me on Pinterest!

This has already been such a fun project. Thanks for tuning in!

my best staging tips when selling your home

If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you know we are moving houses! We have loved our current home for 6 years, and a lot has changed since we moved in- like adding 2 more people to our family and somehow accumulating a LOT more stuff.

We aren’t leaving Lubbock, just moving neighborhoods. Many weeks ago, our Realtor and friend, Jim Archer (who we highly recommend!) knew our desire to find an older home to fix up, and called us about a home he’d found in one of our favorite Lubbock neighborhoods. So, we went to see it, and hated it. But then- plot twist- we ended up buying it! I can’t wait to share more about that, but this post is dedicated to STAGING.

Once we knew we were buying the new house for sure, the scramble to stage our current home began.

Here’s what we did to prep our home to be put on the market:

We ended up taking down the map and frames here so that the brick was the focus of our entryway.

1. We MAJORLY de-cluttered. I went through every junk drawer, closet, craft room, etc. Marie Kondo style. I kept a trash bag and a box for garage sale items nearby, and tried to conquer one or two spaces a day. Garage sale items went into the garage, and trash went to the bin.

Much of what we removed were kids’ toys. I knew we’d never be able to keep our house clean with lots of toys available to our kids (haha), so we put pretty much everything (including the girls’ large dollhouse) in a storage unit.

We also removed quite a few pieces of furniture in order to open up our main living area and make it more walkable for people viewing it during a showing. Furniture also went into storage.

Another area we almost forgot about was the backyard. All the kid stuff (except the trampoline) was removed. I swear, we found about 47 Barbie shoes hidden in the plants. 😂

You can see the trees in our master bathroom in this old photo. I pondered removing the mirrors as well, but ended up leaving them for staging.

2. We took down/painted over super-specific design choices. This was a little heartbreaking to me, as I had spent many hours designing Knox’s constellation bedroom. His room had a large, dark mural on one wall that just had to go- it was much too specific of a design to appeal to a large group of buyers, AND I didn’t want to deter anyone that wasn’t willing to take it down themselves. Thankfully, my mom came over and lovingly helped me scrape all day to get the wallpaper off- not a fun job for sure.

I also had a tree design painted in our master bathroom, which I loved, but wasn’t sure many others would. I chose a neutral grey and it made the space really calm and open feeling. We did leave the girls’ floral bedroom mural in hopes that whomever bought the home might have a little girl, or just like it and want to keep it.

My favorite 60’s toile chandelier has been in our home since I stole it from my parent’s house, haha.

3. We removed fixtures we wanted to keep. We replaced a few light fixtures (like my favorite tole chandelier) with simple neutral ones that would appeal to most buyers.

4. We removed quite a few personal family photos, and some weird decor items. I guess I have a thing for body part decor? I took all these items to storage as well. We debated on whether or not to leave our family photo gallery wall, and ended up leaving it, hoping that it would help buyers visualize what they could do with the space. If we’d had more time, I would have tried putting some neutral art in the frames in place of our family photos.

“Manny” the lamp was taken to storage. We love him but understand he’s a lot to take in 😂

5. We made sure it smelled good. Before and during showings, we had our diffusers running with our favorite smell. It is such a delicious fragrance, leathery, musky, but fresh. Grab some for yourself here. (It’s not in stock at the time I’m publishing this post, but I watch it often and if you follow me on Insta, I’ll let you know when it’s back! Worth the wait for sure!)

Goodbye pups. We love you but some people just aren’t into animals. :)

6. We got rid of any signs of a pet. Dog food, bowls, crate, dog beds and most importantly- the dogs themselves- were gone. Thankfully we were able to bring them to my parent’s house during showings.

7. We did LOTS of touch-up/clean up work. Once everything was clean, we went through and touched up several areas with paint. We also went through the house with a magic eraser- it will clean gunk off of almost any surface! I paid particular attention to anything someone might need to touch, such as doorhandles, light switches, etc.- as these things can really impact the overall impression of the house.

8. We invested in some new front porch decor to make a really great first impression. A new wreath, doormat, and some plants to spruce things up really did the trick. You can check out my wreath and doormat here.

9. We hired someone to help clean. After decluttering and working on getting everything staged, we were exhausted and it was so refreshing to have someone do a deep clean of our home in order to prep for showings. Worth every penny, and we are going to have her back right before we close!

10. We let in the LIGHT. This is a lesson I’ve learned photographing homes for sale. Oftentimes curtains are pulled shut and the natural light a home offers is hidden. We kept all the curtains pulled open, and let in as much light as possible. More light = more space.

We had about a week to get the house ready- since we’d already set a date for an Open House. Towards the end of the process, Shawn and I went around yelling, “We can’t let them know we SIT!” (If you don’t get reference, watch this video). Honestly, I could have spent another week working on it, but I was really proud of our home once it was all ready- even a little sad that we were leaving it!

We also made sure we had great photos, and thankfully we had some practice in that area, haha. If you are selling your home, I can’t stress enough the importance of having light and bright photos of your home done by a professional. That combined with a stellar Realtor had our home sold in just 3 days on the market. You can check out the listing photos of our home below. I hope this list has been helpful!

Quirky People Planters with Cricut Joy

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cricut. All opinions are 100% mine.

This post is made in partnership with Cricut, a company I love and rave about on the regular! It also contains affiliate links to the products I mention here. These links help me keep creating fun things in this space, so when you click on one, it’s like a virtual high five- thank you!

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I am a sucker for a quirky planter, and when my friend Emily shared some adorable planters that donned illustrated faces she got at Target, I rushed to the store to grab some. Upon arriving in the garden section, however, I realized that I was too late. Basically everything was on clearance, and it was slim pickens. 

So, what do I do? I’m in Target forgoodnesssake, I wander about the aisles looking for things I didn’t know I needed. :) And I came across this awesome display of plastic dinnerware. They had lots of fun colors- army green, navy, mint, rosy pink, rust red, black, and most of the pieces were .97. And I had an idea. 

15 minutes later, Target employees observed me stacking bowls of all shapes and sizes on their shelves. I’d found some white bowls that were a bit more expensive ($2), and was now incorporating them into my black and green collection. I’m sure they were annoyed and also wondering if I knew how a bowl worked.

My situation in the aisle at Target. There were so many options!

So I bought several and took them home, with the intention of creating my own little people planters. Guys, this project was super fun and really made easy with my Cricut Joy. And I’m sharing my Cricut files for FREE if you’d like to make some yourself!

What you’ll need:

• Plastic bowls (these I got from Target, any should work as long as they aren’t super thick), 2 per planter

• Drill with Spade Bit

• E600 Glue (or equivalent)

• Cricut Joy (any Cricut machine can make this project- but this one is perfect for the Joy!)

• Cricut Joy Smart Vinyl (I LOVE the smart vinyl. It is already perfectly sized for the Joy and doesn’t require a mat, which saves me a couple steps!) In this project, I used:

  • Permanent Black Smart Vinyl

  • Permanent White Smart Vinyl

  • Permanent Shimmer Gold Smart Vinyl

  • Permanent Holographic Threads Gold Smart Vinyl

  • Cricut Joy Transfer Tape

• Cricut Weeding Tool and Spatula (I used to try to get by without these two items- NOT worth it! They make life so much easier and quicker- plus have you seen this new gold set?!)

• Potting Soil & Plants

Let’s get started!

First, you’ll need to decide the configuration of your planters- I did a combination of sizes and colors, but in the end, my personal faves were the symmetrical, same-colored ones. Let your imagination run wild!

Next, glue your bowls together. There is no magic here- just literally put glue on the bottom of one of the bowls and press them together. The E6000 is great at gluing literally anything together, and is watertight, so it won’t be bothered by watering later. Just make sure you get enough on there to create a good seal without it spilling over. I left the bowls like this for about 24 hours just to ensure that the glue had dried completely before drilling.

Next, drill some drainage holes in the bowls. You will want to use a spade bit, which has a sharper point in the middle that widens to create a larger hole. I used a 3/8 size here. If you’ve never used one of these before, don’t be intimidated! Make sure you have a sturdy surface and you are able to center yourself and the drill over the bowls. The more pliable the plastic, the easier it will be to drill through- but even if you have a harder plastic bowl, it should still work.

I ended up doing only 2 holes on the rest of the bowls because I felt like it was plenty of drainage.

Next, it’s time to cut your people illustrations! I created mine using the Procreate app on my iPad pro- but you could also create your own in the Cricut Design Space. If you’d like to recreate some of my quirky people, I’m linking them here for you- free!

My kids named all the characters so you can thank them for that. :) Click on any image below and it will take you to the appropriate file in Cricut Design Space.

Fred Cricut File

Quirky People Planter Cricut File

Jeff Cricut File

Quirky People Planter Cricut File

Curly Shirley

Cricut File

Quirky People Planter Cricut File

Captain Erica Cricut File

Quirky People Planter Cricut File

Bart Cricut File

Quirky People Planter Cricut File

Once you click on the file link you would like to create, you will need to size it to fit your pot. The face and shirt files are combined into the same file, but I applied them to the planter separately- even separating sleeves from buttons and collars, so that I could place them where I wanted.

Measure the height of the top bowl so that you can appropriately size your face to fit. I didn’t worry so much about the width of the face, since it can curve around the bowl. I used a sewing tape measure for this. Most of the face files ended up being around 3 inches in height. If it became too wide for the Joy (wider than 5 inches), I simply rotated it so that it fit within the size constraints of the Joy.

Do the same for the bottom of your planter with the shirt and sleeves portions. If they became too tall for the bowl, I just folded it over the edge or cut the vinyl to fit when I placed it.

As I mentioned before, the Cricut Joy makes this process really easy- especially if you are using Smart Vinyl. It’s already the perfect width for the Joy and doesn’t require a mat, so that’s one less step in the creation process!

The Fred file cut and weeded. I separated the different parts- including each sleeve so that I could place them right where I wanted to.

You can see how I placed them separately here- I always started at the bottom where the hands are and went up- if the vinyl was too long, I just cut it.

A little tip on placing things on rounded edges: I found it helpful to cut some slits in the transfer tape so that the vinyl would not fold or bubble when placing it. I also used the Cricut spatula to get the vinyl pressed down in the seam of the bowls.

To keep it simple, I did one color of vinyl on each person, but you could easily mix it up! I used black on Fred, white on Curly Shirley and Bart, shimmer gold on Jeff, and the new holographic gold on Captain Erica (don’t you love the names my kids gave them?!)

Quirky people all done and ready for some plants!

Once you’re done, it’s time for some plants. I used mostly succulents and moss rose for the ladies. It was so much fun creating their “hair” plants. You will want to add a saucer underneath these to catch the water should you use them inside.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial- and would love to see your creations- tag me @lissaanglin on any social!

packing tips from your everyday cheapskate

Never have I ever….packed up an entire house…UNTIL NOW! We’ve lived in our current home (soon to be someone else’s current home, haha) for almost 7 years now- and when we moved in, it was just Shawn and I plus a toddler. So, needless to say, we’ve grown in numbers and STUFF.

I took to Instagram about a month ago, desperate for packing tips, and sure enough- the community delivered. So, I’m passing along my best tips here today!

We decided it would be best to pack quite a few things to prime our home for staging, and so we ended up packing in stages. Part 1- declutter and pack items for staging/showings, and Part 2- pack everything to move. 

Because our new home is undergoing a kitchen reno 1st thing (lots more on this soon!), we’ve chosen to put almost everything we own in a storage building, and live with my parents for a few months. We are thankful to have this option. 

Knowing that we would want to keep storage costs to a minimum, it was imperative that we get as much into boxes as possible, and pack them efficiently. When we opened the storage container we’d rented on moving day, I was skeptical as to whether or not our things would all fit- and thanks to the expert-level packing skills of our movers, Rev 7 Moving, it all fit with room to spare! We had a great experience with Rev 7- if you’re in the Lubbock area, I would highly recommend them!

Now for my tips!

R.I.P. to my signed Point of Grace posters. 😂

DECLUTTER LIKE YOU ARE MARIE KONDO WITH HER PANTS ON FIRE. I know this is an obvious tip, but ya’ll- we legitimately thought we didn’t have enough “stuff” to have a whole garage sale and weeks later- low and behold- our entire garage was full of it. This is a GREAT time to rethink collections, broken things, good intentions and just move on. I ended up selling or trashing so many things that have kept my house cluttered. For a couple of weeks, I chose a closet or drawer to go through- and this really helped in both the packing process and when it was time to clean for the new owners.

KEEP THE SENTIMENTAL CONTAINED. In the process of emptying our attic, I realized I had no less than 7 large Rubbermaid containers full of my mementos from growing up. I am so thankful that my parents saved and stored these items, and honestly I’m really glad I waited until this stage of life to go through it all. Some things were easy to throw away- cards I didn’t even remember receiving (I have such a hard time throwing away notes!), duplicate newspaper clippings, dried out flowers from who knows what occasion. I told myself I wanted to condense both Shawn and I’s sentimental things into one large Rubbermaid container. It took about 2 days, but I did it. The hardest part? The emotional journey I took as I went through my life. Friends I missed, regrets I’ve let sit for years, realizing just how many people have helped and encouraged me. Whew! It was tough, but worth it. My main purpose in going through these things was to make a keepsake box for my kids. As I sorted, I considered the legacy I’m leaving- what I would want my kids to know about my life- what I considered important. And that helped me say yes or no.

HAVE A GARAGE SALE. We initially thought it would be too much hassle to do a garage sale. However, as I started to declutter, I realized that it was totally possible, and so we set a date a couple weeks in advance. This gave me plenty of time to scour the house for what we needed to sell. In the end, I’m really glad we did it- and we had a little extra cash to help cover moving expenses.

COLLECT YOUR BOXES. I am too cheap to actually pay for moving boxes, so we gathered free ones from several places. Grocery stores are always a good source for milk boxes, which are nice for small, heavy things like books. We also were able to get quite a few boxes from friends that worked in warehouses. If you look hard enough, and ask around- you’ll find them!

INVEST IN A HEAVY DUTY PACKING TAPE DISPENSER AND BUY THE GOOD TAPE. My mom and sister lent us a couple of these and they were invaluable. I also learned the importance of getting the good packing tape- 1 or 2 boxes with the cheap stuff and I wanted to throw it through the window! Here’s my favorite tape, and the dispenser I liked the best. Yes, now I have a favorite type of packing tape. Hello, adulthood.

LEARN HOW TO MAKE A CARDBOARD ENVELOPE. I started the packing process working on all my large art pieces and framed photos, as these can be tedious to pack. Instead of buying expensive boxes for these, I made my own with larger boxes and a utility knife. I WISH I had taken a photo of this- but my next tip will tell you how to start.

WRAP ART IN BLANKETS AND STRETCH WRAP. A great solution for art and photographs is to fold them up inside a blanket (you can fit several together with a layer of blanket in between), and then use stretch wrap to hold it all together. This solution was magical for us, and got all our blankets packed at the same time. Then, to finish the cardboard envelope, I cut a broken down larger box in half with a utility knife, and sandwiched the blanket-covererd-art in-between the two pieces of cardboard, always making sure that the cardboard was larger than the blanket/art. Then I taped and stretch wrapped the two pieces of cardboard together tightly so that the art could not move inside the cardboard when it was standing vertically.

Why yes, I did stretch wrap EVERYTHING. Including the inspiration board you see in the background of this photo. All the smaller pieces are pinned into some foamboard I’d mounted on the wall, so I simply took the foamboard down and wrapped it all up!

STRETCH WRAP FOR EVERYTHING! Guys, I’m obsessed. I used the roll of stretch wrap my mom brought over so quickly that we had to go buy 2 more! Stretch wrap is so helpful for wrapping anything framed as I mentioned above, but I ended up using it in all sorts of applications. Mason jar with markers in it? Stretch wrap it. Jar full of loose change? Stretch wrap. Hardware that needs to stay with broken down furniture? Stick it in a plastic baggie and stretch wrap it to one of the pieces. I even put stretch wrap over the pot of my fiddle leaf fig so that the dirt wouldn’t fly out in transport- and it worked like a charm! You can find it at just about any local store, but be sure to grab one with a handle like this one.

Bagging up our clothing like this was so helpful!

CONTAIN HANGING CLOTHING IN TRASH BAGS. I loved this tip I received on Instagram. We were able to go ahead and move all of our hanging clothes to the new house, but we bagged them up inside large trash bags for moving and storage. So all we had to do to transport was lay them down in the car and hang them directly in the closet. I had considered buying some

USE STYROFOAM PLATES BETWEEN DISHES. This was a great inexpensive solution I ended up really loving for packing my dishes. The plates were the perfect layer of protection for my dishes and allowed me to fit a lot into a box.

So there you go! My top 10 tips! I hope they are helpful to you. I am also planning to post my tips for staging your home to sell- we were able to get over list price and I do think that the staging had a large part in that- so stay tuned for that! 

Lissa's Lists - Summer Reads

Lately, my go-to way to relax (and escape reality for a bit) is to pick up a book. And it’s typically a novel with a little love and intrigue, maybe even mystery. I’ve read so many great books in the past year, and have quite a few on my list now, so I’m sharing them here today!

Lissa's List Summer Reads

Books I've read and recommend:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Limelight by Amy Poeppel

Small Admissions by Amy Poeppel

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

The Crazy Rich Asians Series by Kevin Kwan

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Plan to Read/Currently Reading:

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella

Animal Print Wall Mural DIY

Newborn Penelope in her nursery. Design by Dru Ammons, Photo by Looney Digital, Mural by me!

A few months ago my friend Dru asked me if I would be interested in creating a wall mural for her new baby’s nursery. I was honored and excited because I love Dru’s style and knew it would be nothing short of chic and cool- go peruse her site HERE- you won’t regret it. So, when she showed me what she was dreaming of- and then told me she was getting a custom neon sign with the baby’s name to go on top, I was ALL IN.

Sweet Penelope is here, and so precious! Beyond any of the decor, she is what makes the room special. It was an honor to get to paint this mural in her room- and I filmed the process so I could take you along with me!

Dru originally showed me an animal print-inspired pattern. We selected these three paint colors after looking at several in the room. (Never, ever just pick a swatch from the wall and order paint without looking at it in the space first! Lighting can completely change the color. It’s also important to view a swatch at different times of the day in the room- light will change from morning to night, and so will the tones of your paint.)

Once we had our colors down, I experimented with several ways to create the print, and landed on old-school potato printing. I grew up making potato prints with my mom, and it was the perfectly imperfect solution to creating a consistent yet organic feeling to this pattern. In the video, I show you how I cut them to create the pattern.

A finishing touch was the metallic paint I used to create the centers of the print pattern. I used Plaid’s Liquid Leaf paint in gold, though I would call it more of a rose gold. I love this paint and haven’t found one quite as metallic as this one:

Check out the whole process and more detail in my video here:

I am so pleased with the way the mural turned out and appreciate Dru for trusting me with it! Just in case you are wondering, that amazing neon is from Brite Lite Tribe.

Design by Dru Ammons, Photo by Looney Digital, mural by Lissa Anglin

Lissa's Lists • Spring + Summer Home Refresh

Since we’re all spending a lot more time at home lately, I have found myself in spring cleaning mode. We’ve purged, rearranged, consolidated…and now I’m excited for a little refresh because the weather had been beautiful lately!

So, for today’s Lissa’s List, I’m sharing a few things I’ve picked up for my home, and a few things I’ve loved having over the years.

Lissa's List - spring + summer home refresh by Lissa Anglin

Funny Doormat
I saw this a few weeks ago and thought THAT WAS MADE FOR OUR HOUSE. This Etsy shop offers lots of hilarious and cute sayings on custom made doormats.

Under Doormat Rug
I just love this buffalo check and it’s the perfect for under a natural fiber doormat. Comes in red and black for all you Red Raiders, too!

Olive Leaf Door Wreath
I am so impressed with this little faux olive wreath - I’m picky about faux flowers, and this leafy wreath is just perfect for my front door.

Faux Plants

Wall Hanging Faux Plants
I hope to be a real plant lady one day, but these faux hanging plants are just perfect. I think I’m going to grab a few for the kids’ bathroom.

Faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree
I have a couple real fiddle leaf fig trees, and let me tell you- they are finicky. Thankfully, you can’t kill this one and it looks quite nice in any corner of your home.

Faux Snake Plant
I’m also snagging some of these for my front porch on either side of my front door. They add the perfect amout of height.

Santal Oil
Ya’ll, if you grab ONE thing off this list, make it this oil! It is absolutely my favorite smell and we keep it in our living room diffuser pretty much all the time.

Outdoor Rug
I get asked about this rug all the time. It is actually an outdoor rug, but I have it under our dining room table because KIDS ARE MESSY. I love that I can literally wipe or spray this off. We’ve had it a few years and it still looks brand new.

Outdoor Pillows
Neutral
Love these neutral pillow covers with the leather accent. I would definitely use these inside, too!
Colorful
These are very similar to what I currently have on our patio, and I love the bright colors and illustrations.

Utensil Caddy
My mom has always kept a caddy like this stocked with paper goods in her pantry, and finally last year I bought one and wondered why I hadn’t done it sooner! This caddy is perfect for stocking with paper plates, napkins, and utensils and makes grilling out and eating on the patio super easy.

Wooden Utensils
I love these and think they are a stylish and Earth-friendly alternative to the plastic utensils. Plus, they aren’t that expensive! I’ve got some in my cart.

Diamond Planter
I’ve been eyeballing this planter on Amazon for a while now! So cute!

Planter with Stand
I have this planter and get asked about it a lot. Neutral and stylish.

Fiddle Leaf Woven Basket
Excited to have gotten one of these as a new home for one of my fiddle leaf figs. I almost bought another one for throw pillows and blankets in the living area.

Paper Goods

While looking for a caddy similar to mine, I came across all these fun paper goods and had to share! What a fun way to make a backyard dinner a little more special!
Amethyst & Rose Gold Paper Plates

Pale Pink & Gold Confetti Paper Cups

White Marble & Gold Cocktail Paper Napkins

custom marble sticker DIY

Anyone else a sucker for good packaging? I know I have purchased things solely because of the pretty package- and when it comes to the products I make and sell, I like to package them special, too.

I’m teaming up with a few other crafting + lifestyle bloggers to share a quick and easy little DIY I use for my business today- custom marble stickers! I use these stickers to package my creations and add a little extra love. They’re also perfect for packaging any type of gifts and I’ve made similar ones for baby and wedding showers, teacher gifts, etc.

Materials Needed:

• Cricut Cutting Machine- I am using my Cricut Joy, which is perfect for a small batch of stickers like this

• Cricut Extra Fine Point Pen

• Sticker Paper- here is the kind I love and use. I use the waterproof matte inkjet in the 8.5x11 size.

• Watercolors & brush

• Isopropyl Alcohol

• Eyedropper (you can also use a paintbrush if you don’t have one)

Click HERE if you want to use my exact design file in the Cricut Design space!

That’s it! This project is a relaxing one- I love getting to do the actual marble paint on the stickers- it is a pretty foolproof method and using the alcohol to create the marble effect is a lot of fun. Then, I use the draw and cut features on my Cricut Joy to give them a professional look.

Check out my video below with the step-by-step guide.

So go out and make yourself some stickers! And please tag me @lissaanglin on any social sites so I can see your beautiful work!

Head over to these blogs to see what they have created and how they use Cricut for their blogs!

Kay @ Kay’s Daily Insight:

kaysdailyinsight.com

Instagram.com/kaysdailyinsight

Bria Snyder:

briasnyder.com

Instagram.com/Bria.snyder

Mama Llama Llama:

mamallamallama.com

Instagram.com/mamallama.llama

Emily @ Emily Plus Twins:

emilyplustwins.wordpress.com

www.instagram.com/emilyplustwins/

paper flower crown tutorial with cricut!

The blooms in our flower bed are finally starting to appear after what feels like a very long winter- which means spring is here! The beautiful weather we’ve been experiencing has been such a beam of hope for me, as we’ve been quarantined in our home now for almost a month due to COVID-19. While I’m thankful we are healthy and home, our hands have needed something to keep us from going stir crazy!

So when the new Cricut Joy arrived in the mail last week, I couldn’t wait to start making with it. I was able to check out this machine at Alt Summit last month, and you guys- it is the perfect little cutting tool!

Top Two reasons I love it:

1. The smaller size of it makes it perfect to keep permanently on your desk. It connects to your computer via Bluetooth, so it also doesn’t use up another USB port nor does it need to be in a super close range to your computer- just close enough for Bluetooth to connect. :) It’s just cute. I love the design of it- the blue is cheerful and modern.

2. It cuts and writes just like a larger Cricut, except it’s perfect for small jobs, like labels and cards. I know I’ve thought twice about pulling out my machine just to make a couple small labels. With the Joy, it’s already on my desktop and it’s quick and accessible. LOVE THAT convenience.

   You can check out the Cricut Joy here- they’ve put together some bundles that are perfect for label and card making!

Now let’s make some flower crowns!

These are perfect for your littles, or even yourself! Of course, the flowers used in this tutorial can be made into anything you can dream up.

Paper Flower Crowns

The materials needed for this project are pretty simple, and if you have a Cricut Cutting machine, you’ll likely have everything else you need in your craft closet as well.

The watercolor and watercolor paper is totally optional in this tutorial- you can easily use some of the pretty patterned paper the Cricut makes and avoid painting. I love watercolor, though- and the method I use here to paint is beginner-friendly, so don’t be intimidated!

Materials:

• Cricut Joy

• Cricut Joy mat and weeder, scraper

• Watercolor Paper (I used Artist’s Loft Level 2 Cold Press Heavy Weight 9x12 pad)

• Watercolors (my favorite watercolors here, but any you have will work)

• Watercolor Brush

• Decorative Ribbon (I used 3/8 polyester ribbon I had laying around)

• Hot Glue Gun

• Scissors

• Paper Towel

Links to my flower files in the Cricut Design Space:

3D Daisy and Leaves

3D Peony

Check out my tutorial below!

I’d love to see your flower crowns, or any other projects you create with my flower files! Be sure to tag me @lissaanglin on any social platform so I can ooh and aah over your creations.

Lissa's Lists • Creative Mama Mother's Day Gifts

It’s sure to be a Mother’s Day like no other this year- and I am predicting that more than ever, most moms just want a few minutes alone! However, while we’re all safe at home, I have a feeling that those of us with crafting in our veins are itching for something to make. So, this week’s list is coming a day early- so you can go ahead and send this to whomever might be purchasing your gifts this year!

This week’s list includes a few of my all-time faves, a few things that I’m crushing on, and some of the things you guys, my community, have told me you’re wanting. There are a few great sales happening and so I’ve linked all the items right here for you- best price guaranteed!

Creative Mama Mother's Day Gifts by Lissa Anglin

Illustrating Bible

I get asked about my Illustrating Bible all the time, and I absolutely love it. It is a nice large size, the square shape is perfect for posting photos, the pages don’t bleed through and the spiral binding is a gamechanger. If you are wanting a journaling Bible, this is the ONE! Promise. (Psssst- also found it for 25% off at the link above).

Illustrated Faith Accessories

If you’re getting a journaling Bible, might as well go ahead and grab a few accessories. My favorites are the date stamp, cardstock and epoxy stickers- but they have a ton more!

Cricut Joy

This is a recent addition to my craft room, and I go to bed at night thinking about more projects I can do with it. :) Not joking. It is so compact and perfect to just keep out on a desk or shelf- perfect for small projects like cards and labels. I’m considering it my new label makeer!

Cricut Air 2

This is the Joy’s older, slightly more capable sister. She can pretty much do anything you want, at a larger size, and if you’ve been eyeballing one, go ahead and pull the trigger- these are priced lower than I’ve ever seen them right now!

Cricut Easy Press

You know all those cute custom shirts you see people wearing? They probably have an easy press. This little heat machine is what adheres the vinyl on to fabric and you could literally make alll sorts of things- from onesies to dishtowels to tote bags.

Water Pens

These are a favorite of mine! Perfect for newbie brush letterers, or anyone who is a little nervous about watercoloring with a brush. The water stays inside the pen, and then you dip it into color. It combines colors beautifully as well.

Iridescent Ink

Y’all, how fun are these inks?! These can be used like any paint, with a water brush, or in an alcohol ink project. A little goes a long way, so they will last a long time. I linked the set that you would REALLY want.

Iridescent Watercolors

Iridescent means they SPARKLE! This is a newer product and I am dying to test them out. I think they will be so much fun for Bible journaling!

Supply Cart

This is such a no-brainer- I am positive that everyone could use one or a few of these. I love the fact that you could pack if full of supplies and then roll it to wherever your project is happening. My heart loves a good functional gift.

Tombow Pens

FAVORITE. PENS. EVER. They’re just good, ya’ll. The dual tips are perfect when you want to brush letter and then switch to the fine tip. They have a ton of colors and I’m linking a new color palette here!

Stabilo Pens

A friend gifted these to me a few years back and I have loved them for their size and great variety of colors. These are perfect if you need a super fine tip- I use them to underline in my Bible a lot. Ples this little carrying case is so cute!

Watercolor Tin

I have this watercolor tin and love it. It’s sturdy, gives me room to mix paints, and the little containers can pop in and out so you can wash them or rotate out your colors.

Paint Pouring Kit

Am I the only one who has spent many, many minutes on the internet watching paint pouring?! Now there is a KIT you can do at HOME, guys! How fun is that?!

This post contains affiliate links, on which I will receive a small commission should you purchase anything/sign up/subscribe etc. I would never share something I didn’t actually like or want to share with you, so I wanted to let you know. Sharing affiliate links affords me a few more lattes and it’s always my aim to add value to your life with the brands and products I share. Thanks for supporting me!