Shabby Apple Giveaway and 2/29 BlogHop

Flea Market Trixie is hosting a Shabby Apple giveaway today!

If you haven't visited Shabby Apple before, you definitely should...they have all kinds of beautiful vintage inspired clothing that - in my opinion - is to die for.

Rodeo Drive

Joyride

Le Seine

The item for the giveaway is the beautiful Caribbean-blue Ahoy! dress. 

Make sure you go visit Flea Market Trixie for details on how to enter!

In other news...

Many of you have probably already heard that

GOOGLE Friend Connect will go away

on Feb 29 for any one that is not with blogspot

but rumor has it that it is being completely phased out for everyone soon

BUT

there is good news

There is a NEW awesome tool–Linky Followers

It has so many amazing features (that GFC never had). If you have not signed up you should. (yes you can have both.) I love the new tool so much and want everyone to enjoy all the new features.

…and did I tell you its super easy and FREE!

What better way to celebrate a fun new blogging tool than to have a party

so break out your poodle skirt and saddle back shoes cuz’ we’re having a LINKY FOLLOWER PARTY HOP

RULES:

1. you MUST have the LINKY FOLLOWERS tool on your site to participate.

If you see that your link has been deleted you need to add the LINKY FOLLOWER tool to your site and then come back over and re-enter your link
{You can have both the LINKY FOLLOWERS & GFC on your site but you must have the LINKY FOLLOWERS toolto participate in this party hop.}

2. You MUST follow the person who has the party on their site as a thank you.

3. Just add your blog button to the LINKY PARTY below.

4.Then grab the BLOG HOP code

You will find the code right under the Linky Party where it says CLICK HERE TO ENTER–

just under that it says: WHAT IS A BLOG HOP? GET THE CODE HERE

Click on GET THE CODE HERE and enter it into a post on your site.

You can grab the party button code in the FOOTER at Its So Very Cheri

You can grab info from my post if it helps you with your post.

5. Then you follow other bloggers–(as many as you want)
–leave each one of the blogs that you follow a comment letting them know you are following them and ask them to follow you back.

If you want to add the BLOG HOP to your own site you will get lots of new followers–(see rule #2)

Its So Very Cheri has and will continue to visit every entry-I try to leave comments but this party has had so many entries and in order to get to everyone I had to change things around. I will come by to make sure you have the Linky Follower tool and follow you. If I mess up and forget to come over and follow you please leave me a comment and I will come back over to do so. You will see my button in your list of followers.

…So do ya want to go Cruisin’?

I plan on HOPPING from BLOG to BLOG to follow everyone who follows me.

If you would like to participate in a fun PIN party head over to the DIY Club and enter the monthly PINNING Party.

This is a Blog Hop!

Honest Critiques

Good afternoon ladies & gents! (I'd actually be surprised to find that any men are reading my blog, but I'm trying to keep things fair here.) What have y'all been up to recently? Any fun projects or awesome finds you just have to share? I love to see other peoples DIY projects, so I hope you do! 

Since I've been unemployed, I've had to either 1) put my creative ideas on hold, or 2) make do with the freebie section on CL (yuck), roadkill rescues (none), and treasures I've rediscovered from deep inside my closet or garage. So that leaves me with exactly...one thing. 

I'll save the 'before' for the next post when I do the full reveal but I wanted to share a few pictures because I need some opinions. I'm still relatively new at this painting furniture thing, so I need your input to help me figure out if I totally screwed something up.

Most of the piece I'm pretty happy with. There are three specific problem spots that I'm not real sure about:

First, this corner has a few bumpy/uneven spots.

The side of the frame has a few gouges & looks like it got bumped before the paint dried.

And lastly, the detail around the inner edge got some weird coverage. Some sections have more gold showing through (like on the left hand side of this frame) and others look clumped up with too much paint (on the right side).

I have a tendency to be a perfectionist...I've been learning that it's OK for things not to be perfect (thanks especially to The Nester) but I'm having a difficult time now drawing the line between a real mistake or something that adds charm and character to a piece.

So for those of you who have been doing this for longer than I have, please tell me what you think. I'd love to hear it, really! If I'm not being paranoid, how do I fix this?

I'm off now to start some dinner before the hubby gets home from work. Thank you all in advance so much for your help!

Linking up with...

The one where I get sentimental and mushy

I'm taking a break today from the usual DIY blogging to indulge in some memories and nostalgia. If you want to skip this one and check back next time, thanks OK with me :)

My sweet baby boy turns three today.

Isn't it amazing how fast time goes by? It feels like just yesterday that we were just getting to know each other.

The hubs and I couldn't believe how wonderfully tiny he was...even his toes were little and perfect.

Now he's a busy ball of energy that seems to never stop. Every day he full of action, just like your typical three year old boy. And he is all boy - he loves his trucks and his dog. He loves sports, bugs, and playing in the dirt. And at the same time, I'm so happy to be able to say that he still loves his mama. Even in the midst of playing stick 'em up with the older boys he still always finds time to come over for a hug and an "I love you, Mama." That boy melts my heart, I swear!

It's hard to fathom how the past three years have sped by. Three years ago I was barely in labor, and today we've had a great birthday day together filled with chocolate pancakes, family golfing with lots of pictures, and playtime with some cool new birthday toys.

He hasn't been feeling so hot the past few days (he has pinkeye, poor baby), so this mama is milking it for all it's worth. I know the day will come all too soon when he'll slouch away from my hugs and pretend that he's too cool for mom in front of his friends. But even then, he'll still - always - be my baby boy.

Linky Followers Party Hop 2/22/12

Happy Wednesday morning, everyone! I've been enjoying my morning caffeine fix cup of joe and hanging out with the kiddo before a lunchtime job interview.

I posted a few pictures on my Facebook page of my most recent work-in-progress. It's not done quite yet, but head on over to see a few "during" pics. And if you haven't "liked" me yet, go do that too! :-)

Today I'm joining up with a couple link parties:

the Welcome Wendesday party, hosted by Take It From Me...





and Cheri for her LinkyFollowers Blog Hop!

Many of you have probably already heard that

GOOGLE Friend Connect will go away

on Feb 29 for any one that is not with blogspot

but rumor has it that it is being completely phased out for everyone soon

BUT

there is good news

There is a NEW awesome tool–Linky Followers

It has so many amazing features (that GFC never had). If you have not signed up you should. (yes you can have both.) I love the new tool so much and want everyone to enjoy all the new features.

…and did I tell you its super easy and FREE!

What better way to celebrate a fun new blogging tool than to have a party

so break out your poodle skirt and saddle back shoes cuz’ we’re having a LINKY FOLLOWER PARTY HOP

RULES:

1. you MUST have the LINKY FOLLOWERS tool on your site to participate.

If you see that your link has been deleted you need to add the LINKY FOLLOWER tool to your site and then come back over and re-enter your link
{You can have both the LINKY FOLLOWERS & GFC on your site but you must have the LINKY FOLLOWERS toolto participate in this party hop.}

2. You MUST follow the person who has the party on their site as a thank you.

3. Just add your blog button to the LINKY PARTY below.

4.Then grab the BLOG HOP code

You will find the code right under the Linky Party where it says CLICK HERE TO ENTER–

just under that it says: WHAT IS A BLOG HOP? GET THE CODE HERE

Click on GET THE CODE HERE and enter it into a post on your site.

You can grab the party button code in the FOOTER at Its So Very Cheri

You can grab info from my post if it helps you with your post.

5. Then you follow other bloggers–(as many as you want)
–leave each one of the blogs that you follow a comment letting them know you are following them and ask them to follow you back.

If you want to add the BLOG HOP to your own site you will get lots of new followers–(see rule #2)

Its So Very Cheri has and will continue to visit every entry-I try to leave comments but this party has had so many entries and in order to get to everyone I had to change things around. I will come by to make sure you have the Linky Follower tool and follow you. If I mess up and forget to come over and follow you please leave me a comment and I will come back over to do so. You will see my button in your list of followers.

…So do ya want to go Cruisin’?

I plan on HOPPING from BLOG to BLOG to follow everyone who follows me.

If you would like to participate in a fun PIN party head over to the DIY Club and enter the monthly PINNING Party.

This is a Blog Hop!

Celebrate Character

Good morning, I hope y'all are having a great start to your week. It's President's Day - are you working on this Monday morning or do you get to enjoy a lazy day at home? I'm taking the morning to cross some things off my to-do list, and now I'm thinking about another cup of coffee.

Today I'm thinking about something I struggle with on an ongoing basis: Perfection in the home.

We don't normally expect things to be perfect - it's a generally accepted fact that weddings won't go off without a hitch, a big project at work will encounter some kind of snafu, and that setbacks are just a part of life. So why do we hold our homes to a different standard?

It's easy to lose track of the important things in a world with decor magazines, TV shows dedicated to beautiful interior design, and the neverending inspiration of Pinterest.

On a personal level though, I have to be careful to monitor my own exposure to the picture-perfect. I still have trouble keeping a realistic view sometimes, but I'm learning to practice good stewardship of the things I have - even if it's not exactly what I want.

Like my husband's beer bottle collection that sits on top of the kitchen cabinets.

Or the blue paint in the dining room and foyer that just isn't quite right.

Or the fact that I can't ever seem to catch up on laundry, remember to take the chipped polish off my toes, or cook anything without some kind of mistake...

The beer bottle collection wouldn't make it into a design magazine, but that's OK with me. I don't want it to! They make my husband happy, and that makes me happy. The things in our house it make a statement about who we are as people and our passions. Eventually I'll find a better way to display the bottles - and they will be displayed - that really shows them off.

The blue paint in our dining room might not be the "right" color for the ultimate vision we have for the room, but I'm OK with it for now. To me it means that we had walls to paint! We have worked really hard to support our home and family, and that is what is most important to us. Of course there are things about our house we would change, but we have made a home out of it and the rest can come later.

The point is, nothing is perfect, so we shouldn't expect our homes to be either. Instead, we should celebrate those quirks as a reflect of ourselves and our personalities. They add character and memories to an otherwise boring blank slate.

Today I'm linking up with The Nester for her "It's Not Perfect But It's Beautiful" party. My home might not be perfect...but it's beautiful to me!

BHG Inspiration

The Kiddo and I have been up to all kinds of stuff the past couple of days...attempting salt dough ornaments, coloring, making new friends at the playground, and attempting homemade egg noodles to with the husband's homemade chicken soup.

One of the benefits to being at home now is that I finally have some quiet time to sit down while the kiddo is napping and read my beloved Better Homes and Gardens magazines. I've been a subscriber for just about ever, but for the past few years since the kiddo was born I've barely been able to keep up with it.

I'm sure it drives my husband completely crazy, but I've been saving all of them for a time just like this. I actually think I have more than what is in this pile, but not I'm not sure where I stashed them. I might as well also confess that these aren't all BHG. There are a few old issues of Real Simple in there, as well as Pottery Barn and IKEA catalogs. Still...there's a lot to look through.

It's a little intimidating, right?

So, with the help of my favorite weiner dog mug and some steaming hot tea, I settled down to read. But where to start? They say there's no time like the present, so that's what I'll do. Behold, the February 2012 issue.

I'm having a serious crush on this deep Schooner blue. It's gorgeous! I really want to use it somewhere, but I haven't found the perfect place just yet.

One of the homes featured this month belongs to Lauren Rubinstein.

The feel of this ding room is pretty close to what I'm trying to capture in mine. I love the contrast of the dark upper wall. It's actually chalkboard paint; and while I'm not sure I would use black like Lauren did, I do like the idea of the white paneled walls with the dark paint.

First, that little yellow cottage is so adorable! On the other page, I love how Lauren combined the elements of burlap, the much-loved leather sofa, and the stenciled pillow to create a feel of comfortable rusticity. That's my name for it, anyway. At the same time, she uses light colors throughout the house to keep it from being overly dark.

Whoops, how did that get in here?

I love this kitchen also. Everything from the warm wood and stone to the quirk of the old bottles and barn star add so much character to the house.

Now believe me, I love Pinterest as much as the next girl. But there's something about being able to hold a book in your hands, feel the pages, and smell the ink. I'm going to have to do this more often :-)

What is your favorite place to find inspiration?

25 things linky party

I'm playing along with Shauna at Perfectly Imperfect today. Here's what on my mind...

1. I haven't had enough coffee today. Or any day, but the computer problems I'm having today aren't helping.

2. I'm wondering how to incorporate my husband's beer bottle collection into our decor in a cool way.

3. My hair is getting way too long to manage. Need a haircut, stat.

4. I should probably take down the last of the Thanksgiving decorations...right?

5. I find it really hard to fathom that Friends is now on Nick at Nite.

6. There's a weird translucent orange bug that lives on my herb plants. Not sure what the heck it is...

7. Still can't make a decision on a paint color (see my post from earlier this week). Think I might just pick something and roll with it!

8. It's finally sunny and nice out today. Thank goodness the rain and misty fog are gone!

9. Now we can finally get outside and burn off some of the 3 year old's energy.

10. And I can get out and do artsy stuff :-)

11. The kiddo and I are going to story time in about 10 minutes. Guess I need to speed this up since I still have 14 to go!

12. I'm wondering if he's old enough to get a library card? I love that he loves to read.

13. I really need to listen to the news more. I don't hear it driving to and from work anymore so I'm completely out of the loop!

14. Going bowling later this week! Should be fun.

15. I really have no idea when I last went bowling.

16. Really hoping that I'll get a call back today about some of the job apps I've done lately.

17. I love being able to open the windows and catch some fresh air.

18. I really love all this time I've been able to spend with the kiddo lately. He makes me laugh every day.

19. But I'm still trying to figure out how to balance the job hunt with spending time with him and housekeeping...all the typical stay at home mom stuff...however temporary this might be.

20. I found a great waffle iron sugar cookie recipe this morning at Remodelaholic. I can't wait to try it!

21. My #1 bucket list item is to sing on Broadway.

22. I actually did this once! But the bucket list version doesn't really count singing on the streetcorner of Broadway...

23. It's still fun to be able to tell people I sang on Broadway though!

24. If you know me, you know that I have a love affair with Chick-Fil-A. Could eat it every day.

25. The only time I've ever won anything cool was at the hubby's company Christmas party. We won the raffle's grand prize, a really nice fire pit. Did I mention we lived in a 2nd story apartment at the time? Yeah...

Linking up with Perfectly Imperfect. If you've written a 25 things post, head on over to Shauna's and link up!

Setbacks

I was working earlier this afternoon on the last steps of the mirror makeover I've been working on. I've been really excited about it because it's the first refinishing project I've done from start to finish. Or, almost.

This is the completed frame.

Each pane has an individual mirror that sits inside.

While I was trying to re-install the mirror glass, one of the panes fell out and broke on the driveway. Not a good thing with a very inquisitive 3 year old...just trust me on that one, folks. Don't try it at home.

So, the question is what to do next. Hubs says it's easy to get more glass cut. Or could leave it as is, turn it into a picture frame, a memo board...there's lots of possibilities.

It's just a little disappointing to make such a silly error. Eh, there are always the "if-only's", right? So what do you think? Do you have another vision for this project?

Decisions, decisions

Of course by that, I'm referring to my inability to make them. Who else do you know that's been trying to pick a paint color for the past year?  *disclaimer: in my own defense, it wasn't the entire year...I got tired of thinking about it a few times. OK, a lot of times - but it's still been over a year since I started thinking about it*

Ultimately, I just can't visualize how the paint will look in the kitchen against my cabinets, and as a result I can't make a decision.

All these pictures were taken before we moved in - there's stuff in the kitchen now, but other than that it hasn't changed.

I'm super tired of the builder white walls and I need for them to change, now.

All the swatches I've picked up and the samples I've tried don't seem to work. 

• Valspar's Vintage Gray - too dark (don't have a picture of this one)
• Valspar's Oatland's Subtle Taupe - we might be heading in the right direction here, but I'm still not sold
• Valspar's Sailcloth - too yellow
• Olympic's Gray Goose - too purple

We have an open floor plan, so the kitchen, living room, dining room, and foyer are all pretty much one large room. I do know that I want a neutral color, but beyond that I'm stuck. So I need your help!

What colors would you recommend for this space?

Around Town

Yesterday I was out and about after a job interview, and since the kiddo was over with the babysitter I took a few minutes to do a quick run through of a few local shops.

First up was High Falootin' Junk. I love to visit Denna's shop, but it's a rare treat to actually do it since I usually have the kiddo in tow. He's very well behaved, but he is a three year old little boy and I'm not going to take the chance of something getting broken.

So I took a few minutes to look through the shop and found about 427,974 some items to add to my wishlist. I almost never go in without finding something to fall in love with. Denna is so creative, and did I mention she's an Annie Sloan chalk paint mini-stockist? I'm only just beginning to experiment with furniture painting, but I get so much inspiration from Denna.

Next stop was the Village Antique Mall. I hadn't been there in a while either, but they must have made some changes and added some new vendors because there were a few regulars I didn't see and a few new ones that I did.

One booth in particular caught my attention. I first noticed some vintage rocking chairs that had been painted and reupholstered. (Sorry for the terrible photo quality! I wasn't even planning on going anywhere so I didn't bring my real camera.)

I started looking around the booth a little more and a gorgeous white framed chalkboard caught my eye.

It took me a minute to read and recognize the quote, and another few seconds to find the source. Can you believe that it was from The Nester? (If you already looked at the photo, you probably aren't surprised now!) I know she has nearly 30,000 readers, but seeing the name in a booth at my local antique mall made the world seem a little smaller :-)

I looked and looked all around the booth to try to find a name for the vendor that owned it. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything, so I'll have to do some sleuthing around the internet to figure out this little mystery.

For some reason I didn't get any other pictures - probably because I was too busy ogling that beautiful chippy turquoise door!

My last stop for the day was the new When Pigs Fly store.

They just re-opened a week or so ago (after closing the old store about 10 years ago) and I was really excited to see what the new store would be like. I got to meet two of the owners, Dawn and her mom Abbey, and I found more things that I'm sure I can't live without. (Credit for all pictures goes to the When Pigs Fly Again website, above.)

Like this gorgeous red barn star out front.

These super yummy smelling candles.

And beautiful blue shutters that I'm currently having a love affair with.

If you're in the Mount Dora area, make a point to stop by these shops if you have half a chance - especially if you've never been here before! The unique character and small town feel is one of the reasons I love living here so much :-)

& now I've got to run - the kiddo and I are supposed to meet some friends for a play date in about...8 minutes and he's still napping.

Also, really quick - I created a Facebook fan page for this little blog, so please head over and click "like"!

Thanks for reading!

-Em