September 25, 2009

{ Fantastic Friday }

Why is it fantastic, you ask? Only because we were featured on the fantabulous blog Just a Girl...
Chris is so much fun & just so darn cute! I've talked about her before here & here. I love her blog! It is full of creative & budget friendly ideas and Chris is funny... I like funny. So, go on over & check it out! Happy, happy day!

September 24, 2009

{ The Fabulous Kasey }

Yep, I'm talking about her again...

You know I think Kasey is amazing from this post, this post and this post. She is having yet another super, fabulous giveaway on her blog to celebrate 300 posts! 300 posts! Wow! Congrats, Kasey!

September 22, 2009

{ Cross Stitch Progress }

I've been trying for weeks to try and think of something I could post on our family blog, so this is what I came up with. I LOVE to cross stitch. I usually get about one done a year (I don't have a ton of time I can devote to it) and I love to give them away to people who will really enjoy them. This is my latest project. It's coming along quite nicely. I wish pictures did them justice. They always look better in real life.

September 21, 2009

{ Necklace Love }

Check out the beautiful neckace that my friend, Katie, sent me. I love, love, love it!!! She is so creative & fun. Her family moved away to Texas a few months ago & she's been crafting like crazy! What's in that Texas air? Can you send some my way?

Anyway, I didn't realize how tricky it is to take a picture of yourself in the mirror. This was the best I could do.

Here's a close-up. It is made from wooden beads covered in fabric with a ribbon tying it all together. I wore it to church yesterday & had so many wonderful comments about it. I love unique, beautiful, handmade things like this...but then, doesn't everybody? Thanks Katie, I miss you! :)

September 18, 2009

{ A Few Changes in the Kitchen }

I added a few things to this little corner of the kitchen this week. I am not the best or quickest at accessorizing. It takes me a long time to figure out what I like & then I change my mind.

I got the 2 canisters at Target. I saw the one at your house, Laurel, and loved the shape. I got one last month & one this month. Hey, I'm on a budget, you know. :)

I love the old tarnished silver in the little white pitcher. It's a little collection of mismatched pieces. Yes, I like polished silver but I also love the aged look of tarnished silver. So, this bit of silver won't be polished with the baking soda trick.
I had the plant in the corner before but, it was just in a regular pot. I found this wicker candle holder at Home Goods a while ago. I had some burlap that I used to line the inside & set the plant right in.
I really like the texture that it gives to the corner & the height of the plant is much better. It was much too short before. Oh, and by the way, Sheri, I changed my mind. Can I keep your white pitcher? Please? It turns out it works perfectly in this spot now. :)

September 14, 2009

{ Oops! }


Oopsy daisy! I wrote in my last post to use baking powder to shine your silver. I meant to say baking soda. So sorry! Thank you, Kristin, for pointing it out to me. I'm always mixing those guys up. Yes, even in recipes. After a few mishaps, I am very careful to read & reread ingredients to make sure I've got the right one. Apparently, I didn't read or reread my post. :)

September 8, 2009

{ The Dreaded Polishing of Silver...Not! }

I was reading this post on The Farm Chicks blog about how they polished their silver. I have a whole set that needed polishing but I've been putting it off because it is so time consuming. The Farm Chicks way just seemed too good to be true but, I decided to give it a try. Here are a few of the pieces. The light shining on them made them look a lot better than they really were.
First, you line a baking dish with aluminum foil & put your silver in.
Then sprinkle baking soda over the top.
Next, pour boiling water into the pan, enough to completely cover the silver & let it soak.
Check it out! Gleaming...literally, gleaming!
I couldn't believe it worked so well. Each time I pulled a piece of silver out of the pan to dry it off, I would show my family in awe..."Look at this! I can't believe it works!" They thought I was nuts!

September 1, 2009

{ An Office Story }

Once upon a time I had an office. I loved my office, but alas, family needs prevailed and my office ended up becoming my teenage daughter's room. What's a girl to do? I lasted about three month with my stuff in storage before I said "Enough! I need My Space." So as I looked around my home I had a thought. My formal dining room only gets used about once a month, and I never really liked the look of it anyway, so it has now become my new office and I love it! I got the bookcases from Walmart, and the basket and boxes came from Lowes and Ikea. I labeled them all so I can find everything easily.The chair was a garage sale find that I slipcovered. I was able to put most of my stuff in this area, the rest (unattractive and oversized items) I put in my unused entry closet. I kept the dining room table so we can pull chairs around it and still use it for overflow seating, but meanwhile I can spread out and really create! I have found that I really like working on the main floor instead of being crammed away in a room, so we all lived happily ever after.

The end.