Moving On

Dear Readers,

After months of contemplation, I’ve decided to say goodbye to my blog.  *sniff, sniff*  I’m finding that blogging about design has settled further down on my priority list…if that’s not been obvious by my lack of posts.  My time is taken up more than ever before…three teens now in the house (delightful so far, but time consuming…lots of eye-to-eye conversations involved that I wouldn’t miss for the world),  ramping up homeschooling of our special needs daughter, and of course, I can’t leave out the two middle girls who need their Mommy’s attention as well. 

I’ll still be decorating obviously, and will forever be rearranging, tweaking, and will continue to be inspired by your projects and pictures.  You can still keep up with what’s going on over here at our fixer farmhouse via Pinterest and Houzz.  I still want to share, but just in a way that works better with my life.  Hopefully I’ll see you over there!  This blog led me into a fun, surprising journey, and I’m so glad you were all a part of it with me.  Thank you!

Love to all,
Rie

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My Ornamental Garden Plans

When we first viewd our new home, the garden that accent the front and sides of the house as well as the perimeter of the back yard appeared lush.  When we moved in, we quickly realized thistles were quite problematic in most of the garden beds.  The plantings were ecclectic, and too much.  Once again we resigned ourselves to ripping out the gardens and starting fresh with the look we wanted.

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DIY Etched Glass Jars

Happy Weekend...YAY!

How was your week?  Are you doing anything fun this weekend?  Fireworks?? We are celebrating Gracie's 7th birthday party tomorrow and we will have 15 seven year olds at the party so that will be fun and my Mother-in-Law is staying here for 11 days.  So, again, we are busy but having lots of fun!!  I can't believe Andrew is 3 weeks already!!

We have another guest poster today and I just love this post!!  I think you will too!!

Today, we have Kelli, from Living Sweetly!  



Hey everyone, I’m Kelli from Living Sweetly! A very special thank you to Bonnie for letting my guest post! Isn’t her blog awesome?! :)

I wanted to share a quick tutorial with you! I love the etched glass look but did NOT want to pay someone to etch a jar that will hold my Q-Tips and cotton balls! I did a little investigating and figured out how to get the same look on my own!

First, decide what type of jar want to etch and what you want to put in it.

I got this jar from Hobby Lobby. It was super discounted because there were a couple of little dings on the lid. I got it for about $1.50. Score!

Make sure the jar is thoroughly cleaned and use your favorite glass cleaner to get off and fingerprints or smudges.

The first thing we’ll do is tape off the area we want painted. I used Frog tape. It seems to work better than regular blue painter’s tape but use whatever works best for you!

I wasn’t too worried about my tape; I just eyeballed it. You could always get a level to make sure everything is nice and straight.

Next, we’ll put the lettering on the jar. I wanted my jar to hold Q-tips. I started with the middle letter of the word to make a sure everything was centered.

My favorite letters to use are the cardstock stickers. They’re thicker so their easier to put on and also to remove.

I used an etching cream from Hobby Lobby and a sponge brush to paint the etching cream on.

{I recommend doing this part outside or in a well ventilated area. This cream is strong!}

Now is the waiting game. There is usually a drying time on the back of the etching cream. I think I just ran to the grocery store and then finished the project after I got back.

After the jar is completely dry, rinse it under some warm water in a stainless steel sink. The cream may stain other types of sinks!

Go ahead and peel off the tape and stickers.

Give the jar one last rinse off and you’re done!

Here’s the finished product! It’s subtle but I think it’s really cute! This project would be great for things like sugar or flour…the writing would really pop!

Thank you again, Bonnie, for letting my guest post!

I’d love for you to come check out what’s going on at Living Sweetly!

I’m on Facebook, too! Come join us!

Thanks Kelli!!  What a great idea!


Have a great weekend!

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Happy Home - Inspiration for Joy

Happy Home is a new book out by Jennifer Paganelli, creator of Sis Boom Fabrics.  You can't help but smile and feel happy when you see her bright, cheerful designs.

Here is the description from Amazon.com, where you can purchase the book.

Jennifer Paganelli designs one of the most popular fabric lines in the marketplace. In this gorgeous collection, she shows readers how to whip up twenty-one beautiful accessories to transform their space into a sunny, happy home. Each project showcases Jennifer's fresh, whimsical style—from luxe drapery to cheery tablecloths and napkins. Featuring simple step-by-step instructions, a comprehensive glossary of techniques, pattern sheets tucked into a handy front pocket, and lush color photos, this book makes it exceptionally easy to pretty up every room in the house. 


 I was lucky enough to review the book, and answer some questions based on my review (my answers are in italic.

 · Is there anything about the book that inspires you? 
The cheerful colors of the fabric!  It's scary to go bold and bright, and while Jennifer goes all out, she demonstrates ways to also inject it through smaller projects - like pillows, and smaller decorations.

 · Have you used fabric designed by Jennifer Paganelli (SisBoom) in home décor projects? 
I haven't - but after seeing her fabric, will definitely consider them for my next project.

Here are some I have my eye on right now, for either my bedroom curtains or a set of cloth napkins:

From the West Indies collection - this plum would look gorgeous next to the pale gray walls in my bedroom.

I also love chartreuse with light gray - so if I do a single panel roll-up shade this geometric from the Poodle collection would look good.

   

The print above (To St. Croix collection) and the print below (Honey Child collection) would both make for some fun cloth napkins.

 · When you look at the projects in the book, who comes to mind? Who would you like to make them for? 
 Children.  I don't have any children yet, but when and if I'm blessed enough to have them I want them to grow up in a home that with the aesthetic theme of joy and play than perfection.  I would make some of these projects from Happy Home for various people - for example:

The market tote, featured which I LOVE - I would make for my mother.  I also think they would make fantastic bridesmaid's gifts!

The party banner would be beautiful in a baby nursery, or used for children's parties.  I could see this being a great piece to pass down and be used by family through generations.

These pillows would be wonderful for anyone's bed - grown up or child.  In blues and greens for a boy would be great, and in the pinks for a girl would be great.  It would be a wonderful message for a kid to wake up or fall asleep to.

 · Does your experience and expertise as a design and home décor blogger make you look at the book differently?

Yes, because it allows you to create the decor and accessories seen in the book, as opposed to showing you a wonderful space, but when where you have to buy items to achieve the look.  When you handmake something, it automatically has more meaning, and is more likely to be special to you for a longer period of time.

How wonderful would it be to give this adorable pom-pom pillow to your daughter who is leaving home for the first time to go off to college?

These projects can also save you money when organizing.  Stylish organization tools are always pricey - but check out the boxes below:

They are so pretty!

All of the projects in the book come with a list of supplies needed, a pattern layout, and step by step instructions.  Their is also a great section in the back listing resources for sewing and related supplies.

I am in the process of teaching myself how to sew, and I'll share any creations I make out of this book.

A great resource if you'd like to learn to sew is the book:

Sewing Made Simple by Tessa Evelegh  (This book is a work of art in itself, with gorgeous photographs and beautiful projects.)

Do you feel inspired to make anything happy for your home now?


*disclosure: I received "Happy Home" and "Sewing Made Simple" as samples

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Eclectic boho London flat with a touch of rock n roll

I thought I'd shake up the blog a bit with this eclectic boho London flat  Very rock n' roll! There are bohemian elements I totally love such as the netted room divider, the peacock chairs and shabby white floors with painted black diamonds - and other areas where um, I'm not quite so sure, such as the netting around the sink. But one's thing for sure, it's fun, quirky, very personal and perfect for a Friday night!

Shoot Factory Via The aestate

Have a fab weekend and see you Monday!! x

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My New Square Foot Garden Raised Bed

Yesterday I told you about my new PVC raised gardening boxes in the far top left corner.  At $59.97 each on sale, they certainly were not a cheap way to build raised garden beds especially since between the two I ended up with 16 square feet of growing space.  My husband doesn't like the new PVC beds so he picked up some spruce to build me a wooden raised bed.



The new raised bed is 4' x 12' x

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A little touch of paradise on Mykonos

'Simply breathtaking' are the only words I can find to describe the San Giorgio boutique hotel on Mykonos, Greece. Congratulations to the team;  Thomas Heyne and Mario Hertel and Design Hotels. Book me in!

San Giorgio via Flodeau

How would you describe this hotel in one word?!

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