May 24, 2013

Girls’ Night Out

I have to have a girls’ night out every so often.  I don’t care whether it’s bunco, happy hour or an iced tea out on the back patio, I just need that connection with my friends to remind me that life doesn’t have to be serious all the time.  Sometimes it’s nice to spend an evening just laughing about silly, ridiculous stuff.

In the spirit of entertaining, I found some really cute serving dishes on Joss & Main site and also over at Target.  Take a look…

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I found the red and white items on Joss & Main and the black and white items on Target.  Mix in some basic white serving dishes and some red napkins and you are all set!  Let’s get this party started!

Here is another color combo that I liked… [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Cool Stuff and Cool Places, Love Where You Live
May 23, 2013

Throwback Thursday

I’m starting a new series called Throwback Thursday.  I thought it would be fun to take a look at trends that were popular years ago and see how design has evolved since then.  Maybe you have a few rooms that seem a little outdated.  Don’t worry!  I will give you some hints to help you freshen up the look in your home!

Let’s start with the dining room.  It seems to me that everyone has a dining room set that they don’t love but they feel obligated to keep because it was handed down to them or it’s one that they purchased when they first got married.  Here is an example of what I see in many homes –

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I found this one on Ebay.  It’s a lovely set and it looks like the chairs have the original fabric on them!  Yikes!  You have to admit,  it does feel a bit stuffy and outdated.  So what do you do?

[Read more...]

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Filed Under: Furniture, Love Where You Live, Room Design, Throwback Thursday
May 22, 2013

Praying for Oklahoma

Oklahoma

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Filed Under: Love Where You Live
May 21, 2013

Friends

moving van

I got the chance to take some time off last week and visit a friend of mine in Dallas.  When she moved 5 years ago, I had every intention of flying out to see her, but then life happened and well, you know how that goes.  So one day when Southwest Air sent me one of those “You Won’t Believe How Low Our Prices Are And If You Don’t Book Now You Will Regret It For The Rest Of Your Life” email ads, I decided to take a look. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Accessories, What to Wear
May 20, 2013

How Do I Love Thee?

I’m starting a new series called How Do I Love Thee?  Let Me Count the Ways…

I think it is fun to look at a picture that I like and try and decipher WHY I like it.  I’d love to get your input as well!  Let me know what you think about each room that I feature!

Here is a beautiful picture from Traditional Home.  You know me, I like to look at the color palette first to see how it flows from room to room.  We can see the foyer, dining room and living area from this perspective.  It appears that the color scheme is red, gold, grays, white/cream, blue.  The living area is a bit more lively in color than the dining room.  In the living area we see all the colors in the palette incorporated into the design.  In the dining room I see mainly gold, cream and dark gray/black.  The two rooms coordinate, but they do not match.  I like that.  Here are some more things that I love about this picture..

 

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[Read more...]

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Filed Under: Furniture, How Do I Love Thee?, Love Where You Live, Room Design
May 17, 2013

Shout Out Friday

I love Shout Out Friday because it gives me a chance to share all the cool ideas I have found throughout the week on other blogs!  There is something about immersing yourself in creative ideas that causes you to open your eyes and take a leap!  Take it from me — the more you leap, the easier it gets.

Here are the treasures I have found this week…

Centsational Girl-dresser

Centsational Girl took an Ikea dresser and made it spectacular! [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Accessories, Before and After, Delightful Dishes, Furniture, Love Where You Live, Lunch/Dinner, Project Gallery, Shout Out Friday, What to Wear
May 16, 2013

Family Heirloom Cookbook – Chicken and Dumplings

This post is a gem!  Lisa, from My Own Sweet Thyme, has been sharing her recipes and stories with us the past couple of days.  You will love this one! — Carolyn

 

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Family Heirlooms

Several years ago, I came to the realization that I had, in my possession, many precious family heirlooms. These heirlooms are not the kind that relatives fight to inherit. They aren’t items that would be featured on “Antiques Roadshow.” In fact, my heirlooms are ones that could easily escape attention and inadvertently be discarded or forgotten. These cherished bits and pieces, lovingly shared or purposefully handed down to me, have been scratched onto used and messy note cards or torn from newspapers or magazines over the years, and are now stuck in a cookbook or tossed into a folder along with other cryptic notes that make up my kitchen files. These heirlooms could easily be mistaken for garbage by almost anyone. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Delightful Dishes, Lunch/Dinner
May 15, 2013

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

I’m so happy to welcome Lisa Feather, from My Own Sweet Thyme, as a guest blogger.  Her recipes are amazing.  This is one of her favorites.  Enjoy!  ~Carolyn

 

Meringue Cookie Plate

Now that the holidays are over I keep hearing how everyone is watching their weight and trying to eat healthy. I understand. It only makes sense after all of that holiday feasting

Still there are occasions that call for cookies or dessert. On those occasions what I really hope for is something sweet, and probably chocolate, though I am happy enough to pass on dense buttery richness. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Delightful Dishes, Desserts
May 14, 2013

Peanut Butter Fudge

Lisa is one of my favorite bloggers.  I often stop over at her site, My Own Sweet Thyme, for a delicious recipe served up with a generous helping of family memories!  She will be sharing her favorite recipes with us for the next couple of days.  Enjoy!!  ~Carolyn

 

Peanut Butter Fudge Again 2

Aunt Hen’s Kitchen

When I was a little girl I loved peanut butter. I chose to take a peanut butter sandwich to school for lunch almost every day. That was a sandwich made with a thick layer of peanut butter between two slices of white bread. Jelly was not a part of the equation. I also ate peanut butter with a spoon from the jar. Peanut butter was a staple in my diet.

So it’s really no surprise that, growing up, my favorite holiday treat was Peanut Butter Fudge. I loved the taste and soft creamy texture and I loved helping Aunt Hen make it. I felt very grown up as I stood on a stool in the kitchen so that I could stand tall enough to stir the brown sugar and cream on the stove top until it reached the soft ball stage. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Delightful Dishes, Desserts
May 13, 2013

Be Creative!

It was finally Wednesday and I was heading  to another art class with Adrienne from Brush and Trowel in Portland.  I had been looking forward to this all week!  She was going to demonstrate a technique using a product that contains glass beads.  This was the demo board that she showed us and while it’s not evident from this photo, the dandelions have a raised, crystal appearance.  Very pretty.

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My neighbor was able to go with me and we were meeting another friend there, so I knew it was going to be a fun evening.

If you ever get an opportunity to spend an evening like this with friends, I encourage you to give it a try.  Not only will you have a great time, but you will come out of there with a beautiful art project for your home!

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Adrienne is the perfect teacher because she lets your creativity determine the end result.   Each person is free to think through the process and alter the design so that the end product is something that is totally unique.  If you find that you  need help, Adrienne is there with suggestions.   How great is that? [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Love Where You Live, Project Gallery
May 10, 2013

A Look Back

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April was a great month!  I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who stopped by.  Let me know if you have a post request.  I would love to try and accommodate your interests!

1.  No Sew Canopy - so easy

2.  No Sew Bed Skirt - lovin me some burlap

3.  Graduation - fun memories

4.  Cuff - be creative!

5.  Napkin Rings - save a bundle

Oh, and for those who read my post on choosing the wrong mirror for my son’s room, I found another one.  Here is the one I took back — [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Accessories, Before and After, Love Where You Live, Project Gallery, Room Design, What to Wear
May 9, 2013

Opportunity

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The weather in my little corner of the universe has been incredibly nice for this time of year.  We usually have dark skies and rain for at least another month.  So the opportunity to soak up this rare gift is just outside our door.

Sometimes I find that I get a little too routine oriented and I forget to stop and enjoy what has been handed to me.  I will often think about how nice it would be to invite people over for an impromptu cookout, or take a walk after dinner, or sit outside and read the paper.  Then, my mind becomes crowded with all the details of what I need to get done that day.  Next thing I know, I’ve talked myself out of doing anything enjoyable. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Love Where You Live
May 8, 2013

Laundry Basket

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I wanted to give my laundry room some TLC.  It’s a pretty laundry room to begin with, so I just needed to change out a few things.

My husband works out every day (and I mean EVERY day).  So he brings home these sweaty bundles of workout clothes from the gym.  I decided to get him his own laundry basket and keep it in the laundry room so he could easily empty his gym bag when he got in the door.  (Translation…please don’t put those stinky clothes in MY laundry basket!)  For years he used this basket – it’s not pretty, but it worked.

 

In sprucing up the laundry room I decided to get a new basket.  [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Before and After, Love Where You Live, Project Gallery, Room Design
May 7, 2013

Mirrors

The use of mirrors as a design element is one of my favorites.  They have so many uses beyond just being functional as a mirror.  Here are a few that caught my eye –

 

Builders are famous for installing a large wall mirror like this one in the bathroom.  They are usually glued to the wall which makes them very difficult to remove without doing extensive damage to the drywall.  I love this solution.  These mirrors are simply layered on top of the original mirror and then flanked by beautiful sconces.  Not only does this give the room added depth, it also allows the homeowner to introduce a beautiful mosaic tile that accentuates the color palette in the room. [Read more...]
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Filed Under: Love Where You Live, Room Design
May 6, 2013

Guest Room

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Here is an update on my guestroom.  I feel like I’m coming into the home stretch.  After cleaning the room and filling 5 bins with items I felt I had to keep, the room feels much better.  (My garage has 5 additional bins in it, but that’s for another post.  ;) )

I finally had to admit that two beds were never going to fit in that room.  So we took one out — and it went to the garage. ha.  With only one bed in there, the space feels much more open and relaxing.

If you feel that you are cramped and uncomfortable in a room, take out furniture.  It’s an easy fix.  Put the extra pieces in the garage or basement and live with it for a while.  You can always add them back in if you feel you need them. [Read more...]

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Filed Under: Before and After, Furniture, Love Where You Live, Project Gallery, Room Design
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