Write a Valentine's Note with Bic Magic Markers

Would you like to remind your Valentine how much you love them?? A representative from Bic Magic Markers contacted me recently about trying their marker product that adheres to glass surfaces. I have always wanted to try writing on mirrors and I am now addicted! I thought this is the perfect time of year to write little love messages around the house! Since it is a non toxic, water based marker, clean up is easy with just a wet cloth. I have been having fun writing on all of the mirrors in our home...

They come in other fun, vibrant shades like blue and florescent yellow and I chose the colors above for my valentines!

Writing this in our foyer mirror will make me smile as we head out the door! The red turned out more like a deep coral, which I love! I think it matches the pillow very nicely.

Not only can these markers be used for Valentine's Day, they are also perfect for birthday parties! My daughter will be celebrating hers soon and she wanted the party room to have a personal message for her big day. {She picked out the phrase, color and design that I wrote. Future crafter/decorator in the making??} The marker used above was the pink.

I went even more crazy and used the white on our living room mirror...

They were exactly right when they said it will wipe off easily with a wet cloth. It couldn't have been simpler...

After it was wiped off

I know I will continue to use these for many more events or just to have fun. Through the end of February, you can purchase these markers at a discounted price of $5 at Staples! For that price, you can either get the 1 pack jumbo chisel or two pack bullet tip.

Happy Writing !!!

Thank you to the representative from Bic which supplied the materials for this craft project

Placing Ornaments Everywhere But the Tree

I have said in previous posts that I like to use ornaments in unexpected ways. With a plethora of ball ornaments in our home, I love sprinkling them throughout the house. It spreads the holiday cheer in all rooms and is a simple, fun way to decorate. Here's a reminder of our holiday decor, with ornaments spread around the home...

Our Living Room

Our Dining Room

And just added today, in our family room

I love when the morning sunshine comes through this room!

How about you... do you use ornaments in unexpected places??

This Year's Simple & Yummy Teacher Gifts

With gift giving, I have always remembered it's the thought that counts. The gift idea doesn't have to be elaborate or cost a lot of money to be thoughtful and special. I went simple {but yummy} for this year's holiday teacher gifts.

You can buy canning jars in bulk and simply add festive candies and a colorful bow! It's fun, cheerful and colorful. Best part is, the chocolates are delicious. Of course, I had to try them out, first. ;)

Here are some other great teacher gift ideas {or for a friend/hostess, etc.}...

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Simple and creative ideas the teachers {or any friend} will love and appreciate!

What are some of your go to gift ideas??

Our 2013 Holiday Home Tour

There is a reason that there's a popular song called, It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year... I love the holiday season and getting the house festive and ready. Although it can be a stressful, busy time of year, I am trying to forget all of that as much as possible and focus on the fun of the season. So, kick back and enjoy our holiday touches this year...

Handmade cards given by my grandmother every year, sit out on display 

Even our head planter got in on the fun with a festive necklace! 

There I go again, with ornaments on every spot but the tree! (We actually have a lot on the tree, too!) 

As you can see, I love using ornaments in unexpected places. They work on chandeliers, hurricane vases, trays and even a small china plate. I have also used them as place card settings, applying the guest's name on the ornament with a paint pen! The best part of that idea?? The guest can take the ornament home as a memento of the occasion! I also love to hang wreaths anywhere a clear command hook will take them! Command hooks are a life saver around the holidays, because they are not permanent and will not ruin your walls, glass or any surface when they are removed. I'm sure I will be back soon with more holiday touches. I even add new vignettes a few days before Christmas. Somebody stop me!  ;)

There is still time to enter the giveaway for the $50 gift card to True Value Hardware and a free Pattern with Pattern Pod. Enter HERE!!

A Holiday Re Cap, Sneak Peek of Our Office & A New E - Design Project

Phew... it seems like a very long time since I have written a post! I wanted to catch you up on a few things that have kept me busy these last couple of weeks. First up, we had a lovely Thanksgiving over at my mom's house. It's one of her favorite holidays to host and as always, she did a fantastic job...

The pretty dotted place cards come with a marker that allows you to erase and write again, so you can always change up the names for each party! The kids and I have started a tradition a few years back, where we make the apple pie and bring it to the holiday meal!

That might have been our best pie, yet! I have also been busy painting our office. It still had the builder grade white paint that wasn't durable at all. I decided to paint it Halo, by Benjamin Moore. It's such a gorgeous light gray/green color and is also what we used in our dining room!

If you follow me on instagram (amberbinteriors), then you may have seen these photos already...

After about a week of looking at the newly painted walls, I finally mustered up the courage to put new nail holes in them! I decided to install a full wall gallery wall in the office. It's amazing how tall a room looks when covering a wall, head to toe in art. You might think that it clutters a room, when it actually has the opposite effect. I also just finished working on a client's office space. My client uses her office to sew, draw sketches and create! She loves neutral grays infused with bright pops of color. This is the result...

She wanted a huge craft table in the space, so I found a way to create one to mimic the inspiration table in the middle of the design board. By using white Ikea expedit cubes and a white laminate counter, a custom craft table will come to life! There will also be a fun gallery wall in her space, as well...

I love the way Audrey Hepburn's scarf ties the room's color palette together. And I think that turquoise Chanel print will fit very well in this room!

So, that sums up two weeks, in a nutshell! I hope I have not lost most of you with my sporadic posting lately. I have been having a hard time creating a consistent schedule on the blog, over the last couple of months. I know we all go through a bit of a blog drought from time to time. But I am excited to be back in full swing this month, with lots of holiday ideas to share!

Spooktacular Halloween Ideas!

Wow, I guess I haven't written a post at all this week! Sorry for my absence on the blog, but I have a great Halloween decor idea for you... even if it might be a little late for this year! My blog friend Emily came up with amazing and creative ideas for her front porch. Although she called them 'last minute' ideas for her blog post, I happen to think they are so fabulous and a perfect way to decorate for the holiday! Here's a little sneak peek...

above pictures via

Genius, right?? My favorite parts are the gold spray painted branch with the bats and the duct tape planters. Yes, that's duct tape to make the stripes! You can read all about her process and see more pictures, on her blog HERE.

Our front porch is the same as last year. Our painted pumpkin topiaries are still going strong!

I wrote a full tutorial for the pumpkins, on my blog HERE.

Happy Halloween!!

A Peek at Our 4th of July Table Setting

We had a nice, relaxing 4th of July at our house. My mom came over and we grilled and chilled. I snapped a few pictures of our table setting in progress. I always like to make small, festive touches during the holidays. I never go too crazy, but just keep it simple.

4th of July Fun .......................................................

I like to use a mix of our white dinner dishes with some fun holiday paper products, to add some color. The large stars and stripes basket was a gift a while back and it always houses our dinner rolls and buns for the grilled food. Our grocery store had patriotic stars and stripes ice cream this year, so we had to try that! When the ice cream is served in a white bowl with a wooden spoon and festive party toothpick, it instantly becomes an easy, pretty dessert! I used grasscloth looking scrapbook paper for the place mats and a roll of white craft paper for the table runner. It's a great spot for the kids to draw on after they finish their meal. That way, it gives some time for the adults to chat and unwind. I also used mason jars for the drinking glasses, which isn't included in these pictures.

I hope your 4th was a great one!