Saturday, August 29, 2009

200th Post Give-Away

Two Hundred. That's quite a large number. It's crazy to think that I've hit another milestone on this blog this year. And what better way to celebrate than to have an Oh-So-Fabulous Give-away! Allow me to introduce what you could win...
You see, I have this cute little tote that I put together and it really needs a home. It needs a shoulder that will wear it happily...a sweet person who will show it off...and a friend who will trust it to hold they're wallet, keys, etc.
But right now, this little tote has a problem. It's feeling a little empty...like it's not fulfilling its purpose in life. This is where you come in...You could win this adorable little tote. But when you receive it, it won't be empty. Nope. Not empty at all. In fact, it will be filled to overflowing. Wanna know why?
Because I also have this delightful collection of fabric scraps. And we're not talking about a few little scraps from here and there. No. This is a collection of nicely sized pieces from almost every project I've worked on in the past year. That's a lot of scraps people!
So not only will you win a tote...but you will win tons of fabric scraps to add to your stash. Now I know you're jumping up and down and wondering how in the world you could win this. Here's the deal...
Leaving a comment on this post you will earn one entry.
Posting about it on your blog will earn you another entry.
Tweeting it, putting it on Facebook, or any other social media thing will earn you another entry.
So that's 3 possible entries for you to win this bag of fabric goodness. I will close the contest at 5:00pm EST on Tuesday, September 1 and the winner will be announced at 7:00pm EST on Tuesday, September 1.
So get to it people! It's time to celebrate the big 2-0-0!

***REMINDER: Be sure to let me know if you post about the give-away on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter that way you can get the appropriate amount of entries.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Mmmm...Smells Good

Many of you know that I started a patio garden this summer. Well, it's been kind of here and there...hit or miss...some good stuff...and some not so good stuff. The other night I made homemade lasagna for dinner and decided I wanted to use some of the basil I've grown. I was kind of nervous at first because the basil hadn't really looked good all season...UNTIL this weekend!
I was so excited when I picked a few leaves off the plants and held them to my nose. The smell was intoxicating. I had to hold myself back from picking all of the leaves and taping them to my nose. But, I restrained myself and picked enough for the lasagna. Adding this fresh ingredient was the best thing I could have done to that meal. It added so much to the recipe.
And another exciting thing I discovered (while researching exactly how to harvest basil) is that I can dig up my basil plants right before the first frost and keep them going inside all winter long. I'm so excited! Is there anyone else out there who gets as giddy about these kinds of things?

P.S. This is my 199th post...which means my next post will be my 200th...which means there will be a celebration...which means a GIVE-AWAY! Keep close watch to see what the fun prize will be.

Monday, August 24, 2009

A Homemade Weekend

Is the weekend over already? And is tomorrow really Tuesday? Geez oh pete! Well, even though the weekend is over and the work week has begun, the Hubby and I are still feeling giddy about the fun, productive weekend we had. Both of us were immersed in our handmade hobbies...me with my sewing and him with his woodworking. (And don't forget the yummy homemade food that went along with the weekend).
On Friday I helped Dustin with the twin shelves he's making for our dining room. The weather was absolutely perfect for us to be out in the garage.Earlier in the summer we got beautiful new furniture (that came with not so beautiful throw pillows) so I covered them with Amy Butler's Nigella. They look A-mazing now.
Saturday morning was so relaxing. We've been able to open the windows for the past couple of days and sleep with the wonderful breeze coming in. When we awoke on Saturday, we found Kitty enjoying the breeze as well. Aren't those pillows amazing? There were two blocks from my quilt from A Notion or Two that were so delicatly made, that I couldn't bring myself to put them in the quilt that would be tossed around on our bed. So I made some beautiful throw pillows with them. This way we can enjoy the detail without worrying about messing them up.Chief wasn't quite ready to get up yet...until he smelled the bacon sizzling in the kitchen...because every Saturday morning should start with French Toast, eggs, and bacon.Later in the day I worked on some more sewing. I'm working on several gifts for the wonderful people in my life. Nothing makes me more happy than doing what I love for those that I love.I hope everyone else had a fabulous weekend. What special things did you do?

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

A Notion or Two August Blocks

We had two blocks for August in A Notion or Two. Amy and Sarah definitely gave me some fun stuff to work with!

This was Amy's block. She provided a beautiful embroidered block to each of us and said as long as the block is 12.5" x 12.5" we could do what we wanted.
Sarah's block was a strip block. I had never done anything like this before and was kind of intimidated at first, but once I started doing it, it was a blast! I absolutely loved this process and will definitely be doing it again.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Happy Birthday Mumma


Today is this lovely woman's birthday. She's at the beach for the weekend enjoying herself. Hope you have a wonderful day Mumma!
Love, Your Sunshine

P.S. She made that lovely purse that she's holding. Isn't it darling?

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Around the House Saturdays - Recycled Home Edition

Recently, the Hubby and I discovered this amazing book that has completely transformed the way we look at home decor. And this book was the key component to our master bedroom make-over.

**Warning - this post is a bit longer than most Saturday posts, but it's totally worth looking at.**
1. & 2. Before - We loved how "warm" our room was, but after 2 years of the same color we were ready for a refreshing new look.

3. The new wall color is a very light gray called Turtledove. The frame over the bed was a $5 find at an antique store in North Carolina. The bed will soon have my quilt from A Notion or Two. Right now it's with Russ at Rhonda, who are long-arm quilting it.4. Reminders of the beach. We collected so many shells at the beach and have placed them throughout the house. The little wooden box was made by my parents a few years ago. It's filled with purple shells. The colorful print behind it all is a special edition lithograph print of Anthropologie's June catalog. They had Hatch Show Print design they're June catalog cover and had 300 original prints to sell. I received #102.5. We found some old wooden crates of various sizes that we've converted into shelves. This was one of those really great ideas from Recycled Home.
6. Everything on the top of this shelf is a "found object," whether it be a hand-me-down, yard sale find or found in nature.7. This piece of driftwood was one of our most favorite finds while on vacation. It adds a natural feel to everything. The block behind it, is actually an old woodblock print that we found at a yard sale.8. My Hubby bought this pitcher for me at a yard sale. Most would think that it needs to be cleaned, but I love the tarnished look that it has.9. This shelf is actually an old Lollipop soda crate that my father-in-law gave us. It's perfect for holding various knick-knacks.
10. Can't get enough sea shells...and they look great when compiled in a mason jar.11. Here is a collection of little pieces of driftwood. They add texture to the display when placed beside these 70's style floral mugs.
12. We found this box/shelf at an antique mall in Williamsburg, Virginia. It had spots of old green paint on it that gives the shelf some pop. And don't you just love my new little collection of owls? Each one was purchased at a different place for less than $1.13. I added a piece of decorative paper to the back of one side of this shelf so the wood blocks/stamps could stand out more.14. & 15. Before, we had very dark drapes over the windows, which made our bedroom very dark. We've freshened it up by hanging up these linen drapes from IKEA. Don't you just want to curl up on this love seat and read a book?
16. This light shade hangs from the ceiling. We've always had it, but didn't really appreciate it's fresh glow until we redesigned the room. 17. This loveseat used to be in our living room, but when we bought our new furniture it needed a new home, and our bedroom was the perfect place for it.
18. My dad made this bookshelf for me when I was a little girl. It used to be stained with a really light stain, but when I moved from home, my parents gave it a faux-distressed look. It's functional as well as beautiful.19. More antique store and yard sale finds. The bird print was $1 at a yard sale. I took it out of it's original frame and placed it in a white frame. The contemporary contrast with the "Granny Chic" of the print gives it a fresher look. We found this Victorian house corner piece at the antique store I shared with you in this post.
20. Mixing books with porcelain items like vases and tea saucers are some ideas that I found in a special edition of Real Simple called Solutions.21. The last make-over area was our dresser. This is a piece that my parents refurbished many years ago and it became ours when we moved to Indiana. In the past, it was very cluttered and I didn't have a mirror to use when I put on jewelry.
22. My Hubby found this mirror at a yard sale and gave it a faux-distressed look. I highly suggest you try this very easy 30 minute project. It started out as a natural-colored stained wooden mirror. To give it this look, Dustin light sanded it then gave it a very light coat of white paint. While the paint was still tacky, he sanded it down in different areas to give it that distressed look. We have several pieces of furniture that have this same look throughout our home.
23. Here's another piece that my Hubby made. He took a piece of oak wood and beveled the edges. He then stained it and added an antique knob to it. It's the perfect place for hanging neckalaces.24. & 25. I used a large jar to hang more necklaces on. And to add more weight and more texture, I put some shells and driftwood in the bottom of it.
26. I found this piece of driftwood on the beach and immediately knew I would use it to display jewelry. It's perfect for bracelets.27. Little plates and tea saucers are perfect for holding little pieces of jewelry like rings and earrings.

It's so nice to have everything re-organized and fresh looking in our bedroom. We find ourselves wanting to spend so much more time relaxing in there. It's almost like our beach cottage away from home. The finishing touch of the room will be the new quilt and throw pillows on the bed. As soon as all of that is complete, I will be sure to share it!
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