Beautiful Homemade Bouquet for Just $3.99

I found these flowers on sale at Sprouts for just $3.99!  (Normally they are $9.99, which isn't bad for a dozen roses either!)

All I did was trim the ends and wrap a bow around them to make a handheld bouquet that can be displayed in a vase like so...

It's such a fun and easy way to add flowers and beauty to the house. 

And come on, my daughter loved pretending she was a flower girl again walking down the aisle with a bouquet.  And I might have pretended I was walking down the aisle once or twice, too!

Posted by Leslie

Diamond Candles are a Girl's Best Friend + Giveaway

On Wednesday, I purchased the Diamond Candles Plum District Deal for just $15 and redeemed the voucher that very same day.  And guess what already arrived at my doorstep on Saturday?!?!  My Diamond Candle!

In case you are unaware, every Diamond Candle comes with a ring inside that can be valued anywhere from $10 to $5,000!  (I know I won't get the $5,000 ring, but I love the whole Cracker Jack prize inside the box idea!)

If you didn't already buy this Plum District Deal, you still have 1 day, so hurry and buy one now!

BUT WAIT!  THERE'S MORE!

(3) lucky Houses, Couches and Babies readers will win a $10 Plum District promo code, making this deal just $5! 

How do you win this promo code?  It's simple...the first 3 people to comment below requesting a promo code will get one!  Hurry, and enter now!  This giveaway is good through 5pm PST tomorrow (Monday, June 25). 

Good luck! 

Let There Be Light!

We have lived in our house for a little over a year now, and if there is one thing we definitely noticed right after we moved in was the amount of shade three massive trees in our backyard provided.  To me, it was too much shade because our house seemed almost cave-like because of all the light they blocked.  And the roots from these trees had definitely lifted some concrete in the backyard - a definite concern.  After learning that the same trees in our neighbor's backyard had caused some water leak issues in their house and they were removing their trees, we decided it was probably best for us to remove our trees as well.

So, here is the before with the trees:

Here is what it looks like after the trees have been removed:

The amount of light we get now is awesome! I might actually have to add some window treatments to keep at least some of the light out!

And look at the additional space we have to do stuff in the backyard now!?!  We haven't quite figured out what we want to do, but there are sprinklers already in place so planting flowers, bushes or even grass would be easy. Perhaps some of my favorite hydrangeas would look wonderful up against the wall or maybe this would even be a great spot for a rose garden. 

P.S. Do you like my Bachelor/Bachelorette-esque lanterns?  Both are from Cost Plus World Market. I need to by more to make it Bachelor Pad-worthy!

How To Make Christmas Floral Arrangements for Dining Table Centerpieces ...

I love how she makes this arrangement! What great inspiration for a holiday table! Maybe if it stops raining here in Southern California I will be able to venture out and get some of these supplies!

Floral Arrangement Experiment

On Thursday's Oprah show (yes, I do catch Oprah every now and again while I am laying on the couch eating Bon Bons as a stay-at home mom...yeah right!) she talked to various people living out their dream jobs, including the "rock 'n' roll florist," John Leatham.

I have seen similar designs to his at a few hotels and decided to use some roses from my own garden to create my own mini floral design. I just cut the roses, removed the leaves, and tied them all together with a rubber band. I must say, I am very proud of myself for trying something new because there is nothing better than looking at beautiful flowers!

Oh, and I love his idea of sending bouquets without vases (we are talking bridal bouquets) as gifts. That way we can all pretend it is our wedding day again (if only my wedding dress wasn't sealed in a box!).

Husbands, please take note!

Happy Valentine's Day

Today is Valentine's Day, and if you are like me, you have pretty much resolved not to do anything above and beyond. (Hello, it's Wednesday, it's a school night!) But I saw a few inexpensive on Good Morning America (basically, the show I have decided to base my life off of) to romance your home. Some of the great ideas are according to our senses:

Touch: Make your own faux fur pillows by covering your own outdated throw pillows with faux fur and fabric glue. (No sewing necessary!)

Create affirmation pillows by taking silk pillows and writing words like "passion" and "romance" with a black marker.

Smell: Create your own diffuser by using a little bit of rubbing alcohol and an essential oil like lavender, vanilla, or musk; then use kabob skewers to radiate the scent throughout your home.(P.S. Vanilla is said to be the number 1 fragrance a man is drawn to!)

Sight: Create your own romantic or inspirational candle holders by taking a glass vase and write words such as "love" and "passion" in crayon.

Sound: Turn on music instead of the TV. Music is said to especially relax women.

Of course, if you prefer, you can purchase many of these items such as the diffuser at West Elm (featured above; $24.00)and the faux fur pillows at Bedbathandbeyond.com (featured above: $19.99).

To see additional ideas and details, check out Moll Anderson on Romancing your Home on the GMA website. Be sure to check out the video clip as well.

For additional design ideas, visit mollandersonhome.com.