sweetwater baby

Headboard idea...

2012-02-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

Just saw this...

listed on Craigslist.

Wouldn't this be so easy to DIY

(on a large scale) and use as a little

girl's headboard? Hmmm...

I feel another project coming on!

Craigslist Freebies...

2012-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Better After's Sunday Freebies post,

I decided to check out the freebies

available on my own town's Craigslist.

I didn't find one listing for free dirt (dang),

but we've got lots of...

ROCKS!

And a chicken ~~slum~~ house...

{be afraid, chickens, be very afraid}

More rocks...

This is listed as a "Free Nice Hida Bed Couch."

At least the "free" part is accurate...

Broken concrete (aka rock)...

A free porch. Huh.

I'm all about "repurposing" things, but not sure how I would make this work...

Wood...

Ala "The Help," these folks have a toilet in their front yard...

And more wood...

Kitchen Citrus Update

2012-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Just found this example of

"Best Use of Citrus as Decor in a Kitchen"

from Hooked on Houses:

If you can tear your eyes away from the Clooney Candy,

note the lemons on the counter.

And also the large container of weed.

Have a happy day! :)

Kitchen Ramblings...

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Please note that I'm making up for my lack of

post-frequency with post-size.

This one's long...here we go.

So those posts I did about my 2012 Home Goals?

That's going to be IT for goals for this year.

I figure just those goals give me PLENTY to

do for at least the next few months

(and I've already started on some of them...YAY ME!)

So maybe I'll do mid-year resolutions for

the rest of the house later. But we'll see.

Anywhoooo...

One BIG project I want to take on this year

is re-doing our kitchen. We can't afford a

total reno at this time, but I figure with

some new (not too expensive) flooring, painted

cabinets and some detail work,

we can get a lot of bang for our buck.

Here are some kitchens that I love...

That blue painted hutch? To die for!

The wall color in this kitchen is exactly like mine.

I like the combo of the wall color, white

cabinets and dark wood (or laminate flooring).

I love the look of a big bowl full of limes on the

counter, but lord, who could ever eat that

many limes??? And plus, counter space is not

plentiful in my kitchen, so no limes for me.

My countertops are currently occupado with mountains

of homework and artwork and books and

magazines and grocery lists and receipts and

notes from teachers and goodness knows what else.

I love to see photos of picture-perfect homes,

but lordy, where is all their STUFF???

They obviously have housekeepers and chauffeurs and nannies.

But I digress.

More counter-hogging citrus. Love the TV at the

end of the island (though my kitchen is too

small for that). And again with the white

cabinets and dark-ish floors. Love.

Oh, and to the folks over at KitchenAid?

If you want to send me a stand mixer,

I will shamelessly promote you every day.

I like this color:

Limes would look good in this kitchen,

but this homeowner chose lemons instead.

Love these light pendants. But my ceilings are

really low (like you can reach up and touch them.

Really...it's like a cave in there) so pendant

lights would be impractical. These homeowners

chose to go citrus-free. HA! We'll have the last

laugh when they come down with scurvy.

We have a roughly U-shaped kitchen that

looks like this (do not be intimidated

by my mad graphic design skillz yo)...

There are cabinets over the breakfast bar that make my kitchen look like this:

But look what happens when we take down the cabinets...cue angels singing...

aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh....

Much better, yes? Of course it is...this kitchen

is from one of the HGTV dream homes (or idea

homes, I don't remember which).

Apples, not citrus. I'll stop now. But it's lovely, yes?

But...if we remove the overhead cabinets,

what do we do with all the ~~crap~~ treasures

that are stored there (i.e. lots and lots of

glasses, coffee mugs, wine glasses, etc.)?

Well, here's my thought.

We use the space under the "breakfast bar," which

we never use anyway, and repurpose the

overhead cabinets that we removed to create

some storage under the breakfast bar like this:

{from No Minimalist Here}

Minus the chicken wire...I don't

need people lookin' at my stuff.

We know that the cabinets are exactly the

same length as the breakfast bar, and

almost the same height. We can either add

legs to the cabinets (to make it look more

like a piece of furniture) or set the cabinets

on the floor, leaving some space above them

for low baskets (like she's done above).

And then finish it all off with trim, beadboard, etc.

It will look like it was meant to be there.

What do you think?

Has anyone had any experience with a project like this?

It's a major under taking, but I think it's do-able.

Whew...thanks for sticking with me on this one!

I'm working on a mood board...which I will share a later date.

I'm Participating...

2012-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

Only one unfinished project?

Lord I don't even know where to start...

Valentine's Day Cards

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

I've been looking online for some

printable cards for the kids.

Look at the super-cuteness I found...

I think these are the ones for The Girl

{from The Rubber Punkin}

...or these

{from Pumpkins & Posies}

For my co-workers

{from The Long Thread}

I used this one a few years ago for The Boy.

{from Secret Agent Josephine}

I think we'll use these this

year for The Boy (a little more

grown-up, and no I Love You's or

Be Mine's, which are a little

foofy when you're a 9-year-old boy.

{from Living Locurto}

SO CUTE!!!
{from Amy Is The Party}

YAY Orange!

2012-01-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

I'm psyched that Pantone's color of 2012

is my favorite color/scent/flavor...

Tangerine Tango!

I may have to add some

splashes of orange

(much to my husband's chagrin, I'm sure)

ala...

{from Life as a Thrifter}

...or...

{from thedecorologist.com}

Dreaming of subway tiles...

2012-01-30T14:14:00.000-08:00

So I'm just on the verge of painting

my kitchen cabinets

(probably white, not green)

and I'm mentally on to the next project.

Wouldn't white subway

tiles be just lovely?

Do you think they

get dirty easily?

In our last house we had

white tiled countertops and white tile

on the floor, and the grout got grungy.

I wonder if the same happens to backsplash tiles?

{from Better Homes & Gardens}

{from Decor Pad}

{from House Designs School. this one has me thinking about beige cabinets}

{from ilikewantneed.com}

{from My Home Ideas}

{from rejuvenation.com}

{from Southern Living}

Green Kitchen Cabinets?

2012-01-26T06:44:00.000-08:00

What do you think? Are green cabinets on the way out? Too casual? Too style-specific?

What I Wore Wednesday...

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's back! What I Wore Wednesday. And judging from this pic, I need to spend a little more time in the gym. Just keeping it real.

More Home Goals for 2012...

2012-01-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

Up next...the kids' rooms.

P's room is OK, but her closet is a disaster.

When I get around to organizing it,

I'll share the horrifying "before" pics.

For now, here's my inspiration:

{from The Container Store}

{from Ladies Home Journal}

{from Moxie Girl}

The Moxie Girl website suggests involving

your child in the cleaning/organizing process.

It's a nice idea, but one that will make this

1-2 hour project into a 1-2 day project.

Think I'll do it myself.

Next, I'd like to make some

changes to T's room.

His closet needs a little organizing

(with a backhoe), but this

time around I just want to

focus on two things:

Getting his dresser painted,

and putting up some curtains.

He's got blinds on his window,

but it needs a little dressing up.

Here are some ideas:

From Kim at Too Much Time on My Hands...

I LOVE the stick/curtain rod idea,

but may not have the

patience to pull it off.

I really like the simplicity

of the design though,

and this is what I'm going for.

And check out her vintage "fly" letters.

LOVE...

I also like the idea of white curtains

with red trim (to tie in with

other red things in his room)...

{from Decor Pad}

Or maybe these...

{from 517 Creations}

And I just plain love

everything in this room.

Wish I could do these built-ins...

{from Thrifty Decor Chick}

Next up...living spaces!

Happiness is...

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

New fabric to add to my stash...

Arizona Sunset...

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Great Paper Plane Fly-Off...

2012-01-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we participated in

The Great Paper Plane Fly-Off at the

Pima Air and Space Museum.

SO much fun!!!

2012 Home Goals...

2012-01-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

Now, these may be lofty.

And some may not get done.

But I find that I always accomplish more when

I've set goals for myself (duh).

Especially if those goals are made in public

- like on this blog.

So, here are my room-by-room goals for 2012.

This will be the first of several posts.

You know...just to spread out the happiness.

These are the big ones...

there are lots of little ones, too.

But I'm not going to share them all with you just yet! :)

make a headboard for our master bedroom

There are so many amazing examples out there of

bloggers who've made their own headboards.

From upholstered or tufted...

{from Centsational Girl}

{Grace’s Upholstered Otomi Headboard from Designsponge.com}

...to upcycled and rustic...

{from Housetweaking.com}

{from completely-coastal.com}

Choosing a design is almost as hard as the actual

construction of the headboard itself.

Almost.

make some interesting artwork for our master bath

I have a couple of cute, sepia colored pics of the

kids in our bathroom. You can see the

bathroom from an old post here.

And I also have this generic hotel-room artwork...

You can see it above...although this is a "before"

pic of my bathroom. There's a big mirror above

the commode now, and the generic Asian artwork

hangs on the wall just to the right.

It's OK. But it's generic.

Surely I can whip up something

interesting to replace it, right?

Maybe something like this...

{from TransitDesign}

My husband bought me a shadow box YEARS ago,

that's just been sitting around in my store room.

I live in the desert - far from the sea

- but I know that Dollar Tree carries sea glass.

So what about something like this...

{from onewomenshaven.blogspot.com}

Or I could whip up a little DIY artwork, ala Lil Blue Boo...

Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it!

And thats just two small rooms!

Next time...kids rooms!

Goal #2 for 2012...

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

I will take to the air again...

Craigslist Fail...

2012-01-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

OK. So my Mom made me promise not to do any more "Craigslist Fail" posts because she thinks they are mean-spirited. And she's right. But, I'm sorry, I just couldn't let this one go:

'nuf said.

My first goal of 2012...

2012-01-13T16:45:00.001-08:00

...is to say this more...

A private concert...

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

T performs his first song on the violin for Granny...

I sure he will always treasure this time with her.

I need your help...

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

So...cruising through Home Goods a few months ago I came across this clock (no, that's not Home Goods in the background...that's my store room),

It's about 3 feet across and has a pretty classic design...for only SEVEN bucks...woo hoo!!!

Now, despite the lack of high ceilings in my home - and the lack of hands on the clock - I thought seven dollars was a steal and snatched it up. And while I still love it in theory, it's been sitting my garage all this time waiting for inspiration to strike.

I've found some pics on the internet that I love...

{from Pottery Barn}

{also from Pottery Barn}

{from My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia. Even if you're not interested in the clock thing, her blog is awesome...go check it out!}

The clock face is made of a pretty thin sheet of plastic and is a little dinged up. So just adding hands and calling it a day probably won't work. The idea is to distress the clock face MORE so that the dings look intentional. And maybe like wood.

And even though I know this, I'm still stumped.

So I'm asking you...what do you think? Should I glaze the face a little? And how does one glaze plastic anyway? Should I even bother adding hands? Should I get rid of the clock face altogether and make it into a chalkboard? What would you do?

Thank you in advance for your advice! :)

Faux zinc letters...

2012-01-09T16:51:00.000-08:00

I, like lots of other bloggers, saw the zinc letters at Anthropologie and thought - I COULD TOTALLY MAKE THAT FOR ALMOST NO MONEY!!! So...following Sugar and Charm's brief but inspiring tute, I made my own:

...for only about four bucks!

...it only took a few minutes.

...thinking about sanding it down a little to take some of the "sheen" off.

What do you think? Have you attempted the faux zinc letter yet?

*************

YAY!

This post was featured on...

It's time to...

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

from HoneyBoo's Etsy shop

The way it should be...

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Our daughter's kindergarten teacher sent this note - entitled "Thoughts on Report Cards" - home in her backpack today:

Dear Mom and Dad,

In a few days, I'm going to bring home a "snapshot" of myself. This picture will be a time exposure of me that's been developing during the past months. Considering my many likes and dislikes, my mood changes from day to day, I think it's a pretty good likeness of me.

When you see my snapshot, remember this is a report of someone near and dear to you. So, please don't get too uptight if you see a blemish. I hope you will accept me as I am.

Please do not picture me as being better than all the other children. Remember that all children do not learn to talk or walk at the same time, nor do they learn math and reading at the same rate. I ask you not compare me with my brother, my sister, or the kid next door. You can set realistic goals for me, but please be careful not to push me to succeed at something that is beyond my ability.

I want you to understand that my report card is a picture of my school progress. When you meet with my teacher, you will learn many things about my life at school, even some things that might surprise you.

My teacher knows me as I am at school. You know how I am at home. The "real" me is somewhere in between. When these to pictures become blended with acceptance and understanding, I hope my "snapshot" will be a shining portrait.

Your Child

Isn't that awesome? Love her!

I am grateful for...

2012-01-05T12:00:00.000-08:00

My goofy, happy (I hope), healthy and free-spirited children...

Quick crochet hat...

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Look what I whipped up on our Christmas road trip! I love crochet because it's so fast and forgiving. I would consider myself a beginner crocheter (is 'crocheter' even a word?) and I made this hat in about an hour without a pattern. It's not perfect...but I LOVE it!

Count your blessings...

2012-01-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

In light of recent events in my life, I'm really counting my blessings today.

So I whipped up a little house-art for the occasion, and thought I'd share it with you here.

Click on the link here to go to the printable version. You don't need to download the Scribd software - just click on the "print" icon and it will load directly to your desktop. Simple!

Enjoy your day...and count your blessings!

Christmas in the snowy north...

2012-01-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

Resolution...31 posts in 31 days

2012-01-01T18:55:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a little guilty that my posting has been so sporadic over the last couple of months. We all have lots going on in November and December, but still I feel that, if you're gonna do it...DO IT! And if you're not...then let it go.

But I enjoy my little blog, so I'm not letting go.

So in an effort to regain my mojo, I've decided to post something - anything - during each day in January. Please don't hate me if it's not terribly exciting.

Having said that - my focus in January will be on resolutions for the new year (organizing is always a biggie for me) and on gratitude. I want to be more 'present' with my kids and start flying again.

What I've learned through the years is to take baby steps.
Little things make all the difference.
January will be about baby steps. Welcome 2012!

My Ten Favorite Projects of 2011...

2011-12-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

While I've been a little out of the loop the last couple of weeks (where do bloggers find the time and energy to blog over the holidays????), I did do enough blogging in 2011 to be able to pick ten of my favorite posts.

It's kind of nice to see them here all in one place. It gives me a little sense of accomplishment.

So...without further ado...here are my faves of the past year:

BIG chalkboard and thriftstore lamp

{oooh...I almost forgot about that mercury glass vase...I'll have to get that out!}

Blue lampy loveliness

I really love the distressing on this lamp. And the soft light it adds to our living room. One of my all-time faves.

Blue mason jars

I see a blue theme developing here...

Mini chalkboard

Love love love this chalkboard. And...sold it at my office craft fair in December. But fear not! I have another frame just like it. Just need to paint it. Add it to my list of things to do...

Amy's baby shower rosette cake

So much easier than I thought it would be. If you need a cake to take to a party...this one is a hit!

Halloween mantel

I've never really been in to redecorating my mantel (or the rest of my house, for that matter) with the seasons. But I had so much fun with Halloween decorations that I think I'm hooked!

Zip clutches

I made about 20 of these before my office craft fair. Sold a few at the fair, and gave most of the rest away for Christmas. Love these clutches! So versatile...and they make a wonderful present!

Chicken wire frame

I did not sell this at the craft fair, so it's hanging in my bedroom, and I'm using it to hang jewelry. I just love the way it looks and it's so practical. A friend at work ordered two more as gifts!

Sheet music Christmas tree

This is such a simple craft, but I really really love it. The glitter star really makes the tree.

Shabby dresser to fab TV console

This is my all time most favorite furniture project (and of course the one that I see every day, since it's under my TV!) and also one of my most viewed / commented on posts.

So...what were your favorite things of 2011?

thriftiness :: PB wine cooler

2011-12-18T07:30:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Thrifty ~~Thursday~~ Sunday! :)

So a couple of weeks ago we were out thrifting and I came across this wine bucket. Cute but super tarnished. And $7 for an old trashed wine bucket? I don't think so. I almost passed it by. But then I flipped it over, saw the Pottery Barn stamp (and price tag) and ran to the cash register with it.

After some serious elbow grease, here's what I have:

Turns out this retails for about $90 at PB.

Such a lucky find...I think it's just gorgeous!

What thrifty wonderfulness have you found lately?

sheet music tree

2011-12-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

I was looking for a few new and unusual Christmas decorations this year. And since I'm on this sheet music kick, I thought I'd try making Miss Mustard Seed's sheet music Christmas tree (tute here). I think it turned out so cute. My son made the star, so it was a family project.

{love love love the star!}

So what have you been cooking up for Christmas?

Linking up at Meg & Mum's
...and also at the AWESOME linky parties in my right-hand sidebar.
Come join in the fun!

office craft fair...

2011-12-10T15:47:00.003-08:00

I'm sure you've been just dying to know how our office craft fair was! :)

We only had 6 crafters turn out, but everyones goodies looked amazing and we had a lot of fun...

{Alyssa's Peppy Pickles...too spicy for me, but people LOVE them!}

{Paula's jewelry, ruffle scarves - to die for - and tea towels}

{Shannon's tutus. They always sell really well. We have lots of princesses around our office!}

{Recognize her sign?}

My first landscape painting, inspired by Little Blue Boo's tute here.

{My second landscape painting}

So...are you all ready for Christmas?

mod podge clothespins & an "open" frame...

2011-11-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

OK, first? Can I just tell you how excited I am about our office craft fair tomorrow? Partly because I'm ready and I'm psyched and I can't wait to see what everyone's got. And partly because I'm relieved. The date was announced SIX WEEKS AGO and I've been prepping ever since. Tonight I moved all my goodies out of my scrap/sewing/guest room and it looks downright empty. YAY!

So at the last minute I decided to whip up some of these scrappy mod podged clothespins...

What do you think?

I'm thinking they'll look super-cute with my "open" picture frames...sneak peek below...

What crafty deliciousness have you been cooking up lately?

I'm so flattered...

2011-11-29T17:22:00.001-08:00

I've been featured at DIY by Design and couldn't be more flattered! Go check out her Wednesday "Fall Into Fall" linky party....LOTS and LOTS of great ideas there!

Thanks Judy!!!

cute pillows...

2011-11-26T14:49:00.001-08:00

Pardon my absence.

Between Thanksgiving and gearing up for this craft show, things have been a little hectic around here. I'm a little nervous, though, because my friend Shannon took a bunch of my chalkboards and frames to an out-of-town craft fair this weekend, and they haven't sold well. Oh well...if things don't sell at the fair, everyone will be getting lovely little handmade Christmas presents!

In the meantime, I've been putting together a collection of pillows. I'll be displaying them in a galvanized bucket a la the Pleated Poppy like this:

Here are a few that I've done so far.

I'm thinking about maybe listing them on etsy. What do you think?

How was your Thanksgiving?

wreath #3...mini wreath

2011-11-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

I can't stop. It's a sickness. Not like the frame thing. Or the little table thing. But still.

I found a booklet of sheet music from my local used bookstore {Bookman's is AWESOME y'all!} And this music was published in 1937! Wow! Now, I'm always hesitant to tear apart a book, or even sheet music, but I had this image of this poor little booklet sitting alone on the shelves at Bookman's for years - all sad and lonely - and then getting thrown away because it wasn't selling. So, really, I RESCUED this music from the dumpster. Or that's what I'm telling myself.

I love this wreath as-is. But I'm also thinking it needs something. A little glitter maybe? What do you think?

Again, this is something that I'll be selling at the office craft fair. A portion of all sales from the fair will go to our local food bank. The Tucson Community Food Bank is way short on food and cash donations this year and won't be able to provide holiday food boxes to families in need. My awesome, kind and generous co-workers are also collecting food and will be doing some fundraising for the food bank over the next month. Because that's how we roll.

What holiday cheer are you spreading these days?

dreaming of a beige christmas...

2011-11-14T18:12:00.001-08:00

With all this book-page, sheet-music and burlap stuff that I've been crafting, the Holidays feel very beige for me this year. My house is mostly beige too. I'm going to have to find some creative ways to work in some pops of color here and there!

This is a project I've been wanting to try for a while now. I was inspired by the stocking tute over at Cozy.Cottage.Cute. Her stocking is much cuter, and her pleats much more uniform, but I think mine is cute too. I'll be selling this one (and hopefully a couple more, if I have the time to make them) at my office's holiday craft fair on December 1st.

The thing about all of the stuff I've been making for the craft fair is this: If It Doesn't Sell, I'll Be Happy To Keep It For Myself. For a long time, I used to make things for craft fairs {baby stuff} that I really couldn't use myself. But now...if it doesn't sell at the fair, I have a TON of awesome handmade Christmas gifts! YAY!

So what awesome holiday craftiness have you been up to?

chicken wire frame...

2011-11-14T17:24:00.001-08:00

I'm making some progress on my new collection of old frames.

This big one here...

Now looks like this...

I made my own mixture of white and black aiming for a nice, chic hue of grey...but it looks more blue than grey. Still, very pretty.

The chicken wire was a huge pain in the patoot - partially because of the design of the back of the frame - and even though I swore I'd never make another one of these frames it turned out SO cute that I might make another one.

So whhat do you think? Do you like the grey? Or should I stick to white, black and Caribbean Mist? :)

What crafty crafts have you been crafting lately?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on my right-hand sidebar under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

Thrifty Thursday: My disorder, part deux

2011-11-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

So people?

At that very same church rummage sale I bought some other stuff.

Remember the green-framed mirror? I forgot to load it into my car on Friday afternoon. And by the time I realized that I had forgotten it, they were closed. So of course I had to go back FIRST THING in the morning to make sure they didn't sell my precious mirror to anyone else. What I did not realize is that Saturday was HALF PRICE DAY! So, of course I had to buy two more mirrors. And those suckers were big and heavy, so I had to go home, get the hubby's truck and go back to pick them up. Well, of course, as long as I had the truck with me - and little tables were selling for like $2 - I had to buy 3 little tables. I swear, I was standing in the back of the truck muttering "my husband's going to kill me." Pretty sure those church rummage sale people think I'm a little crazy. But! Look what I got:

{husband was disappointed that the top of this table was not real leather. doesn't he understand that one cannot PAINT leather? duh!}

{great legs}

I've already started painting and will be selling a couple of these sweet finds at - you guessed it - my office craft fair. Yippee!

The grand total for this truckload of goodies? About 15 bucks!

So what fantastic finds have you found lately?

flower power...

2011-11-08T00:30:00.000-08:00

Here's some more stuff I whipped up for our office craft fair. I can't believe it's 3 1/2 weeks away! What happened to October???

I have a few of these flower pins that I made for myself. They're so cute and easy to make that I thought I'd make some for the fair. I tend to wear a lot of neutral colors, so these little flowers give me a pop of color.

I made some with just a pin on the back...

and some have a pin and an alligator clip (so that you can put it in your hair, too)...

What do you think? Too much? Would you be more likely to use it as a pin, or in your hair?

Here's a rolled flower that I whipped up yesterday using scraps of drop cloth left over from the clutch I made here.

Thinking about listing some of these on etsy...what do you think?

So what fabulous fall crafts have you been making?

in a clutch...

2011-11-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

I'm getting ready for a little craft fair that we're having at my office in December and thought I'd show you some little clutches that I ~~slaved over for hours~~ just whipped up.

These are my first "zip" clutches. The tutorial is at Skip to My Lou. Her tute is awesome: very clear and easy to follow, with pics for every step. And believe me, once you've made one, you'll be addicted.

One of the things I love is that you can really make them any size you like (taking into account the size of the zipper you're using) with fabric scraps you may have left over from other projects. And I've got LOTS of those! Also...there's a fabric-by-the-pound store close to my office that sells zippers in all sizes and colors for about 25 cents each. So really, you can't afford NOT to make one of these cuties! :)

What do you think? Should I be listing some of these on etsy?

Next up...fabric flower pins and hair accessories.

i have a problem...

2011-11-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Maggie and I'm addicted to picture frames. It was getting bad. Even the hubby said, "Honey, I think you might have a problem." And he promised in front of God and everyone to be nice to me even if I'm being crazy. It's that bad.

And then I went to this church rummage sale where frames were 50 cents and $1, and this is what I came home with:

Look at that great mirror with the green frame in the back. Oh, it's going to be gorgeous!

Lord, please give me strength. As the daughter of a borderline-hoarder, I should know better, right?

But! Inspired by the success of my chippy chalkboard frame here, I've begun transforming all those old frames into this:

Thinking about listing them on etsy. What do you think?

ten projects in twenty days: drop cloth table runner

2011-10-29T01:49:00.000-07:00

Project Ten!!! Woot woot!

OK, I'm cheating here just a little. I've had this runner for a while, but never got around to taking pictures and doing a post.

I was late jumping on the drop cloth bandwagon: my dropcloth curtains went up about 6 months ago. I love them, but there's a LOT of beige in my house, so I'm trying to figure out how to add some color. Any suggestions?

In the meantime, I made this cute little table runner out of an extra dropcloth I had. I love love love table runners, but rarely get to use them, as tables in my house are used for homework and crafts and eating. A runner just seems to get in the way.

Anywhooo...this was a pretty simple project. I cut down the middle of my 6x9 dropcloth - which gave me one hemmed edge. That way, I only had to hem one edge. I had originally intended to make the ends "ruffled," but I find pleats so much easier to handle.

That flower vase was a Goodwill score for $3! Those flowers didn't last long in the vase, though, because the water started to seep through the sides of the vase. So this will be a fake/dried flower vase from now on. I just love the crackling. It always makes me think about where this vase has been, and who might have loved it in the past. How did they use it? Why did they donate it? I hope that they loved it as much as I do.

So...what have you been crafting and thrifting lately?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

ten projects in twenty days :: another wreath?!?!

2011-10-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Day ~~Eighteen~~ Whatever :: Project Nine

Yes, it is another paper wreath. This time with vintage sheet music, and this time with a Christmas theme. We're having a craft fair at my office, and I thought I should put some of the time and energy I'm spending on my various projects into preparing for the fair. So here's what I came up with.

I found an old booklet of Christmas sheet music at my local used book store. I was specifically looking for something that already looked aged (so I wouldn't have to go through the tea-staining ordeal again).

I cut out a donut-shaped piece of cardboard. Fastened on a ribbon. Best advice ever? Miss Mustard Seed suggested stapling the ribbon on first, before gluing on the paper cones, and boy was she right! Check out her tute here.

Can you tell I used my Halloween mantel to take pics of this wreath? Pretend it's a lovely swath of greenery, and not holey old cheesecloth! :)

I was going for a really rustic look and wanted the wreath to look "random," so I purposely tried to make the cones different sizes. I might have added another layer of "cones" but ran out of sheets.

What do you think?

What crafty fun have you been up to?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

balance...

2011-10-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Ok...y'all know I'm in the home stretch of my Ten Projects in Twenty Days challenge, right?

Except that October is the CRAZIEST month in my house, and we have a big family wedding to attend this weekend. So...in an effort not to make myself crazy, I may not post my last two projects until next week...even though tomorrow is day 20. C'est la vie, right?

In the meantime, peeps, have a fantastic weekend! See you next week! Here's where I'll be tomorrow (don't be hatin'):

ten projects in twenty days :: rosette cake

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back!

Day Sixteen :: Project Eight

{phew! only two more to go!}

I've been seeing lots of these around the blog world and have been dying to give it a try. Not that I need an excuse to bake a cake...

My inspiration - and the buttercream frosting recipe - came from i am baker. Her tutorial is awesome and really gave me the courage to try it myself. And, honestly, it was super easy.

I cheated a little and used cake mix (lemon) and pre-made vanilla pudding for the in-between layer. Instead of the vanilla that the recipe calls for, I used lemon extract. If you make it, take it easy on the lemon extract. Her recipe calls for a tablespoon of vanilla. I used two teaspoons of the lemon. Start with 1 teaspoon and add more to your liking.

So easy and so pretty! Mine was certainly not perfect, but still gorgeous and delicious!

I made this cake for my friend Amy's baby shower (again...like I needed an excuse!)

"M" is for sweet baby Madelyn

The Spread...

The Recipe
(courtesy of i am baker)

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THE BEST BUTTERCREAM

2 cups shortening8 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon clear imitation vanilla extract

6 fluid ounces heavy cream

In a large bowl, cream shortening with mixer until fluffy. Add confectioners sugar (2 cups at a time) until well blended. If the frosting gets to thick at any time you can add some of your heavy cream.

Add salt, vanilla, and heavy cream and blend until combined, then blend on high until frosting is light and fluffy. If you need to add additional cream you can. (up to 2 tablespoons)

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Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

ten projects in twenty days :: halloween mantle

2011-10-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

Wecome back to Ten Projects in Twenty Days

Day Fourteen :: Project Seven

So until last weekend, I had a serious bah-humbug attitude about Halloween. Then, all of a sudden...out of the blue...I was into it. Much to the relief of my children.

Last weekend we decided to scare-ify our mantle. And here's what I came up with:

{Note: picture shown is purposely bad so that you will think, Ugh...THAT is an ugly mantel}

Meh. It's ok, but it really needed something. I couldn't figure out what that something was, but I just knew it was imcomplete. I thought about spider webs, but they're so messy and I just wasn't sure that it was quite the look I was going for.

But today! Today we bought some old, ratty cheesecloth, and voila!

Big difference, huh?

Oh, and I also painted a fake pumpkin that my Mom gave me (it matches my cute little chalkboard).

I wrapped the existing candle in some of the book pages that I "antiqued" for my wreath.

Also, the blue shutters that are usually on my mantle (here) were flipped over, painted black, and distressed. They're still blue on the other side, so I can use them more or less year-round.

So...what have you been doing to Halloween Up?

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Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

Also...come check out

grateful...

2011-10-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've been blessed to receive not one, but TWO Versatile Blogger awards from Erin of Salvaged Whimsy and Inspire Me Heather! You guys are so awesome...thank you so much!

Go check out both of their GORGEOUS blogs!

ten projects in twenty days: book page wreath

2011-10-13T21:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

Wecome back to Ten Projects in Twenty Days

Day...um ~~Eleven~~ Twelve :: Project Six

Now I'm even confusing myself. Whose idea was this, anyway???

So here's what I have for you today. Again, not super original, but I've been wanting to do a book-page project for a while. I'm also in need of some cute Halloween decorations. So I thought I'd whip up a book page wreath.

Now, I thought and thought about how I wanted to do it. And I like to use supplies that I already have on hand. I went searching the internet for some inspiration and found this post from Living with Lindsay which was EXACTLY what I had in mind. Rather than posting a tutorial for you here, I'm sending you to Lindsay because I think she NAILED it (and because her pictures are way better than any I could hope to take).

Props to Lindsay! Here's her wreath:

I also used a foam wreath and book from Dollar Tree.

{names have been omitted to protect the innocent}

And while she painted the outside of the pages, I dipped each individual page in tea and quick-dried them in the oven at 300 degrees. If you attempt this, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep an eye on your pages. It's paper and fire, people, and it will burn. While I like the effect and it wasn't too terribly labor-intensive, if I do this project again, I'll use Lindsay's method.

And here's my finished product.

My book pages are a little "tighter" than hers. I'm actually not crazy about that, because you can't really see the words on the pages very well.

I also wanted to add the BOO lettering, but 1) didn't want the letters to be permanent - so that I could use this wreath year-round (picture it with some cute red hearts at Valentine's Day...cutie cutie cute!) and 2) I didn't have any chipboard letters on hand and didn't want to run out to buy some. So here's what I did:

Cut the letters out of plain black scrapbook paper and glued regular ol' sewing pins to the back. I'll tell you what - my glue gun was plugged in for, like, 12 hours straight that day. It was maybe the best day of my life. :)

So...whatcha been up to?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

ten projects in twenty days: mini chalkboard

2011-10-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back!

Project Five :: Day Nine

I am love love loving chalkboards these days.

For this project, I started with a $1 frame from Goodwill. I did not sand, but did wipe it off with a damp cloth before getting started. Also, I didn't prime - which turned out to be a happy mistake.

I used Krylon's Catalina Mist (this is the same color I used on my lamp makeover HERE).

I think it's a little more green in real life.

So...we all know that with spray paint you're supposed to do several light layers rather than one thick layer, right? I was carefully painting this frame layer by layer, nice and thin. Then I got to about coat 4 or 5 and the whole thing just puckered up. Dun dun dun dunnnnnn......

So I got out my handy palm-sander (have I mentioned how much I LOVE my palm sander?) and got to work thinking that I would sand it down and start over again. And here's what it looked like:

Like I said...happy mistake. I could not have gotten this awesome weathered, chippy look if I tried. So...I gave it a little bit of brown glaze (brush on regular old brown craft paint and wipe off immediately with a paper towel) and left it alone.

I am madly in love with this little chalkboard!

Sweet huh?

So what crafty loveliness have you created lately?

UPDATE: I made the chalkboard from 1/4'' MDF. I used the glass from the frame as a size guide, and sprayed it with chalkboard paint. The directions on the can recommend that you allow the paint to cure for 24 hours. I highly highly highly recommend 48 hours or more. I didn't wait long enough on my big chalkboard (here) and if you look at it from the side you can still see "joy to the world" etched into the chalkboard.

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Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

ten projects in twenty days: easy picture frame

2011-10-09T12:52:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Ten Projects in Twenty Days!

Project Four:: Day Seven

Easy Peasy Picture Frame Re-do

Ok...so here's a super simple way to re-use and old tired picture frame.

What you'll need:
* 1 picture frame
* 1 piece of scrapbook paper
* paint (spray paint or acrylic craft paint is fine)
* glue (I used a glue gun, but you could use Elmer's glue)
* 1 clothespin

Get yourself an old picture frame (not more than 12 inches wide or tall, since you'll be using scrapbook paper for this project). Remove the glass and cardboard backing. You won't be using the glass for this project, so put it aside or discard it. {does anyone have any crafty ideas for using old picture frame glass?}

Next, choose the scrapbook paper that you want to use for the backing and paint your frame and clothespin to coordinate. I used a cream colored paper with black polka dots, so I painted my frame and clothespin black. Reassemble the picture frame - substituting the glass for your scrappy paper. Glue the clothespin to the top inside of the frame - to the scrapbook paper.

Hint: Make sure you have enough room to pin at least a 4x6 photo in your frame without the photo overlapping the frame.

I also think this would be a cute way to display kids' artwork.

See? Easy!

So what have you been making?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

ten projects - tanner's map

2011-10-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

Project Three:: Day Five
(that's getting confusing, huh?)

Giant Framed Map

HAPPY FRIDAY!

So I found this GIANT picture frame for $1.50 (what?) at a yard sale last Fall. Not this Fall. Last Fall. So it's been collecting dust - along with lots of other crafty inspirations - in my garage for almost a year. But this one...was NOT waiting for inspiration. I knew exactly what I was going to use it for.

I wish I had some "before" pictures of the big map that was pinned to Tanner's wall. The pins would fall out, and one corner would hang down. Plus - all the holes in the wall? Had to go. And this frame was exactly the right size - YAY!

So it got a few coats of black spray paint and a little ~~too much~~ distressing.

Then it was ready for the map. I had the map laminated at a local teaching supply store (5 bucks!). If you're taking on a project like this, I would HIGHLY recommend the laminating. This map would likely have ripped apart if I'd tried to do it without laminate.

Anywhoo...first I taped the map to the back of the frame. This allowed me to make sure that it was centered correctly without having to re-staple if it was off-kilter. Also it allows you to get a nice tight fit and work out any wrinkles (literally) before you staple. Then I reinforced around the edges with my staple gun. Added a wire for hanging.

And voila!

It looks good, and it's built to last. Until Tanner decides he's sick of maps and globes and moves on to the next thing.

So what have you been up to?

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Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

ten projects in twenty days - dry erase board

2011-10-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Project Two :: Day Three

Custom Dry Erase Board

So. I saw this dry erase board by Jen at A Thousand Words and I knew I had to try it.

Which I did. But Jen's version is way way way cuter.

Still. My version lives in my house with me so I love it. :)

I swear I took "before" and "during" pics, but I just can't find them. So you'll just have to take my word for it. I had a hand-me-down print from my in-laws which just happened to be 12 inches wide (scrapbook paper width). Painted it white. Used 8 strips of scrapbook paper. The strip on the top is slightly taller than the rest. Also, I used thin (like 1/3-inch) strips of white paper to create the stripes between the sections. Jen had this on her version - not sure how she did it, but I wanted to recreate it. Glued them all to the cardboard backer that came with the frame, reassembled, and that was it.

Couple of things. I don't recommend using darker paper, as your dry erase marker will not show up in front of it. Also? I know that it's not spelled "margarita." Or maybe it is. You don't know. Maybe I'm tossing my pasta with a margarita. Which would actually be pretty disgusting.

Today it does not list the fake menu that was on it when I took these photos. Now it has the list of my Ten Projects in Twenty Days projects, and looks very messy and very disorganized. Still love it though. I love that you can use any frame and any paper and make one of these. So easy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are so many amazing projects like this out there.
Here's some inspiration:

From Make and Takes

From A Little Crafting

From Paper n Stitch

So what have you been creating?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

This post is linked up here...

French Country Cottage
Chic on a Shoestring
Finding Fabulous
Fingerprints on the Fridge
The ArtsyGirl Connection
JAQS Studio
My Lil Pumpkin Patch
The Brambleberry Cottage
Somewhat Simple
Tales from Bloggeritaville
Yesterday on Tuesday

ten projects in twenty days...blue jars

2011-10-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

OK...Here we go:

Welcome to Ten Projects in Twenty Days!

I concocted "Ten Projects in Twenty Day" in order to force myself to wrap up some projects that I've already started, and to get cooking on some craft ideas that have been rattling around in my head. I can't tell you how nervous I am about this. 10 projects in 20 days is a big commitment for me. But without further ado...

Project One :: Day One

Blue Mason Jars

Now, I know lots of these have been floating around in the blog world. And for good reason! This is an easy and inexpensive way to use jars you might otherwise throw away to make beautiful, functional vases, pencil jars, or whatever.

My recipe came from The Single Nester.

She tested several ratios of glue to food coloring, but I chose to make it simple with just one recipe:

1 Tablespoon white glue

1 teaspoon water

(Start with just a few drops and add a little as necessary. Too much water will make your glue/paint "sheet." You'll see some of this problem in the photos below.)

1 drop blue food coloring

(Don't you love how the shape of the little food coloring containers hasn't changed in, like 40 years? Not that I would know, since I'm only 29.)

Start by mixing the glue and food coloring. Add maybe a 1/4 tsp of water. If you're happy with the consistency, start painting! If it's still a little too thick to paint with, add another 1/4 tsp of water.

I decided ahead of time that I wanted to paint the outside of the jars so that I could use them as vases. If you paint the inside, the water will melt your glue/food coloring concoction. No bueno.

Paint your jars upside down on wax paper. You don't really need to paint the very top of the lip of the jar anyway. And this is glue, after all - you want to make sure that you're painting on a surface that can be easily separated from the glue. Wax paper does the trick.

If your glue mixture starts to "sheet" {like in the photo below} let it dry for about 30 seconds and then go over it again with your brush. Don't add more glue at this point - just use your brush to smooth over the unpainted area. It might not be perfect, but it still looks good when it dries. Also, add a little more glue to your glue mixture before painting another jar.

And here's the finished product:

Nice, huh? If you do this project, send me some pictures!

UPDATE: If you make these, I really recommend spraying them with clear spray paint as a final step. You can use a matte finish if you want to keep that frosty look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the right side of this here blog - under Linky Love. Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

This post is linked at

French Country Cottage
Chic on a Shoestring
Finding Fabulous
Fingerprints on the Fridge
The ArtsyGirl Connection
JAQS Studio
My Lil Pumpkin Patch
Clean and Scentsible
DIY by Design
Handy Man Crafty Woman
Savvy Southern Style
Ginger Snap Crafts
Domestically Speaking
Coastal Charm
Between Naps on the Porch
Tip Junkie
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Giggles Glitz and Glam
Hope Studios
I'm Topsy Turvy

thrifty thursday...

2011-09-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

O.M.G.

Look what i found at a yard sale right down the street from my house on Saturday! I saw this cute scrolly frame peeking out from under a pile of stuff and thought "great...I'll paint it and make it into a cute little chalkboard."

So I pulled it out from under the stack and this is what I saw:

I.love.this.painting. By a Michigan artist named Emily Wolf. I Googled her, but didn't really find anything. There's an Etsy artist named Emily Wolf, but I'm pretty sure it's not the same person. If you're Emily Wolf from Michigan, drop me a line so that I can tell you how awesome you are. Anywhooo...treasure found! Love love love it!

What treasures have you found lately?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Come play with me...

I link up to the parties shown on the

right side of this here blog - under Linky Love.

Check them out...they're the greatest! :}

This post is linked at

Coastal Charm

Common Ground

Fireflies and Jellybeans

French Country Cottage

The Shabby Nest

Creating a House of Grace

what i wore wednesday...

2011-09-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Funny how a few weeks ago I had never done WIWW, and now it's all I do. But watch out...10 projects in ~~10 days~~ 20 days is coming!

I know, I said it would be 10 projects in 10 days, but let's get real here, people! In the meantime...here's WIW:

Old Navy top, Ann Taylor loft jeans, flats from DSW (maybe Steve Madden?)

I {heart} these flats! My friend Alyssa says that pink is the new nude when it comes to shoes. Which bums me out because I just found out that nude was the new nude, and now we're on to pink. I can't keep up.

Also scaling back on the WIWW pics - kind of running out of new outfits to show you. Must be time to go shopping! :)

Come play here...

what i wore wednesday :)

2011-09-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

Hi there...it's What I Wore Wednesday again!

I read that a lot of people do WIWW to stay accountable...to make sure that they get out of their sweats at least once a week. Well...I'm a working mom, so I'm getting dressed every day. But...gotta say: I can always use a second look in the mirror before I walk out the door. It's funny how I have outfits that I love - and I think they look pretty cute - until I see a picture of myself in them and think "WHOA Nelly! That looks pretty bad!" or "I wonder if people think I'm pregnant in this outfit?"

So here's what I got this week.

I pray you don't think, "WHOA Nelly!"

Outfit on the left: Casual Friday...Floral tank from Old Navy, Target cami underneath, thrifted jeans (Levi's, I think), and yellow patent flip flops from DSW.

Center: Client presentations...Jones New York no-iron blouse, Ann Taylor pants, Marc Fisher orange patent wedges (yeah baby!)

Right: Semi-casual Thursday...Old Navy chambray peasant blouse (my new favorite), J Crew pants and flip flops.

And everyone? Have a great week!

Linking up at The Pleated Poppy

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STAY TUNED FOR 10 PROJECTS IN 10 DAYS...COMING SOON!

aaahhh friday...

2011-09-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

yum...

2011-09-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Rustic No-Knead Bread

Ok...first off? I have to say. I fiddled with this photo on Picnik. And I thought it looked really cool. And I uploaded to my blog post. But now that I look at it here, it looks really weird. Like, really bright. This bread is not this bright in person. It's just kind of regular delicious bread-color. So keep that in mind. But this recipe? LOVE IT! So easy. You'll never eat store-bought bread again! Bon apetit!

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 tsp instant yeast

1 1/2 cups warm (but not hot) water

Put the flour and yeast together in a medium-sized bowl. No need to stir them together, but make sure the yeast is on top. You want the warm water to touch the yeast and get it going.

Add water and mix until you have a nice ball of dough. It shouldn't be too moist. It should just be enough water to get the flour to form into a ball. You may need to add a little additional water at this step (by the tablespoonful). Cover with plastic for about 20 hours (we usually have this for dinner, and I prep it the night before).

An hour or two before you want to bake your bread, turn your ball of dough onto a floured cutting board and shape into a ball. Even though this is a no-knead recipe, I sometimes give it a little knead at this point. But it's totally not necessary. I'm just a weirdo.

Place in an oiled bowl and cover with a dish towel. When the dough is ready to bake, preheat your empty dutch oven at 450 degrees for 30 minutes. This sounds odd, but you want your dutch oven to be really hot when you put your dough in. Plop your dough directly into the middle of your dutch oven (careful...it's going to be really hot), cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the the lid and place back in the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes.

When you take off the lid, but before you put it back into the oven for the final bake-time, you can brush your bread with melted butter, rosemary and kosher salt...YUM! Or maybe some asiago cheese? Or some crushed garlic? Create your own recipe...go crazy! The more you bake with this recipe, the more comfortable you'll get with it, and the more ideas you'll have for creating your own delicious bread.

Have fun!

YUM!

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Linking up here...

Mad in Crafts
Remodelholic Recipe Swap
Brambleberry Cottage
Fireflies and Jellybeans

lamp loveliness...

2011-09-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Remember this lamp?

{from this post here}

I painted it - and I sure liked it better than when I found it. But it wasn't quite there. So...it wound up living in the garage for a few months while I thought about what to do with it. Finally decided to paint it light blue and distress/glaze it a little, and now I LOVE it. It's going to sit on a little table that I bought on Craigslist for two (yes TWO) bucks! Just need to do a little painting, of course. Here's the after on that lamp:

SOOO much better...dontcha think?

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Come play at...

The Shabby Creek Cottage
2805
Type A
Under the Table and Dreaming
The DIY Showoff
The Girl Creative
Between Naps on the Porch
Vintage Revivals
Common Ground
Remodelholic
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Clean and Scentsible
Ginger Snap Crafts
Blue Cricket Design
All Thingz Related
Coastal Charm
Creating a House of Grace
Domestically Speaking

We Remember September 11

2011-09-11T06:38:00.000-07:00

{in honor of all that was lost that day}

aaahhh friday...

2011-09-09T07:23:00.000-07:00