Another Swap~Dream of Spring

I have joined a swap hosted by Vintage Indie. It's called I Dream of Spring and it looks like it's going to be a fabulous swap. I love swaps - they're such fun and there is such amazing talent out there in blogland!

So, anyway, part of entering the swap is posting and answering these 5 questions so here goes:

a. What's your favorite part of spring?

My favorite part of Spring is the abundance of flowers, the beautiful fresh air, throwing open my windows and the sunlight on my face. I love all of the pastel colors and the sweet chicks and bunnies of Easter! For me, spring is a time of rebirth and of course all things girly and frou-frou!

b. What are your favorite flowers?

Roses!

c. What types of hobbies/crafts do you enjoy?

I love scrapbooking, altered art, paper crafting and just about anything I can create with vintage ephemera and old photos. I also love to create jewelry out of vintage beads, baubles, buttons and rhinestones.

d. What types of vintage do you collect or look for?

I LOVE those beautiful old sepia toned baby pictures! I'm always on the lookout too, for vintage beads and buttons. I also love velvety vintage milinery flowers in the pinks, pale blues and soft browns

e. Any allergies or things that you absolutely can't stand?

I have no allergies and there's nothing I can think of that I can't stand

This is going to be fun!! If there is anyone else interested in this swap, be sure to go to Vintage Indie and check out all of the details - but hurry! You must enter by March 1.

A Little Birdie

I'm so excited, I got something in the mail!! Yeah!!! Would you just look at this cutie? I won this sweet little bird and nest from Mahala at Simply Sage during her One World One Heart giveaway. It is gorgeous! Mahala, you outdid yourself. I love the glittery bird and his sweet little nest full of eggs! A GREAT BIG thank you goes out to Mahala! Go and check out her blog if you get the chance!

Have a lovely evening everyone!!!

Nest Swap~~Sneak Peek!!

I joined in Speckled Egg's Sweet Little Nest Swap! I put the finishing touches on my swap partner Heather's nest today so I thought I'd post a little sneak peek. I don't want to show the whole nest - that would ruin the surprise for Heather but I will show you a teeny little bit of it!! Okay Heather, now's the time to close your eyes if you don't want to see any of it!

(The actual nest is hidden from view)

Okay, here it is...

Okay, that's all you get for now. The rest will have to wait until Heather's nest arrives safely in her hands.

Have a lovely day everyone!!

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

Oh my, it's raining so hard today but that's okay because gloomy days are also very cozy days in my book. Perfect days for warm fuzzy blankets, cups of tea, good books, etc...etc...

I went grocery shopping today but I got lucky because I ventured out early this morning before the rain really had a chance to get started. I was able to make it home and unload the car before it got bad. Now it's coming down hard.

So anywho, I promised pictures today and I've got pictures!! First things first - you've got to see the before pictures of my table. I know there are many people who GASP at the thought that anyone would paint over good wood. But...I LOVE white painted furniture!! And besides, I can justify this. Would you just look at the top of this thing?? The top was terribly discolored so I figured I MUST paint it, right?

So here it is before

be sure to take note of the top here...

And here it is after
much better, I think!

The chandelier is going to have to wait. I want to find some pretty crytal drops and maybe some strands of beads or crystals to add to it! It will be ready soon I hope.

Have a great day!!

~ Erin ~

My Menu Board

I finished one of my projects today but I haven't been able to take the picture yet. The chandelier is all painted but I just need to glam it up a bit! Pictures of those hopefully tomorrow! Look what I did get though. I found this cute chalkboard at a flea market awhile back for $1 - Yep, $1 ! The frame was dark burgundy in color so I painted it white to lighten it up a bit then added a pretty ribbon to make it fit into the decor around here. It now serves as my menu board in the kitchen! How fun is that??!!

Happy Monday!

Today is supposed to be really nice outside so I think I'm going to take advantage of the good weather to get some painting done. I have a few projects that need completing. I have this great chandelier that someone gave to me awhile back. I'm going to get it painted and I want to hang it in the kitchen. We currently have a fluorescent fixture hanging up there which I'm not exactly crazy about. The builder put it in when the house was built - which reminds me, today is our 9 year move in date anniversary!! My gosh!!! Has it been 9 years already? Time really flies.

Anyway, I have no idea how to get that thing off. We have replaced many a fixture in this house with new lighting and I myself have hung several chandeliers but this fluorescent light has us stumped! It's probably not as difficult as it seems - it's just intimidating to me because I'm not sure how it is attached to the ceiling or where the holes are going to be when the fixture comes down. I was ambitiously thinking that I could just unscrew the thing, remove it from the ceiling and rewire the chandy to surprise my hubby when he gets home. After looking at it this morning though, I'm just not sure it's going to be that cut and dry. Hmmmm....don't know what to do! Have any of you out there in blog land ever done this before? I'll have to think about this some more. I'll post some pictures later today of any projects that I'm able to complete. Have a good day everybody!

Sunday Morning Pancakes

Yummm!! We made pancakes this morning and they were so yummy, I thought I'd post a picture. Very easy too, made with bisquik!

2 cups Bisquik

1 cup milk

2 eggs

2 TBSP sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cook on griddle until golden

add butter, syrup, or honey - whatever you like - fruit compote is good too!

Have a happy Sunday!

Pretty Finds

Look what I found at Marshals!! I just love this. I've been on an ongoing treasure hunt for the new kitchen. I have been inspired by this theme for a year now. It has been a year since I finished our baby's nursery(which was done in a French theme) and ever since then, I have been in love with that style of decorating! I have been collecting little things here and there just waiting for the time when we re-do the kitchen. So now that it is here, I can't wait to get it all decorated - to get all of my treasures out of hiding and out in the open! I promise there will be pictures!!

Have a great weekend!!

Sinks and Faucets and Countertops Oh My...

Okay, so I am beyond excited this evening!! We went out this afternoon and ordered our new kitchen countertops, sink and faucet. I can't wait for everything to be installed. The countertop is called Blackstar Granite and we got a beautiful sink and faucet to go with it. The sink is a lovely shade of creamy white called "biscuit" and the faucet is the prettiest oil rubbed bronze. Very European looking. We currently have a stainless steel sink with a double bowl which is nice but neither bowl is really big enough for my big pots and pans. The new one has a HUGE single bowl with TONS of room. It reminds me of a big farmhouse sink only without the apron. Oh I love it!! We also got all new door handles for the bathroom, laundry room, front hall closet, pantry and basement steps. The finish on those is the same as the new faucet. Did I say I can't wait??!! LOL - I'm just a little excited!

So anyway, I bought this fabric pictured above to make my new kitchen curtains! I can't wait until everything is put together. I'll be sure to post plenty of pictures when it's done.

Shopping...

I decided to take a side trip to Marshals today while out running errands and going grocery shopping! I wish you could have seen all the adorable Easter stuff they had out. Soooo cute!! I just wish I had my camera with me. The displays were adorable - yummy eye candy for sure. I was picking up everything and looking and almost boughteverything too. But then I thought...wait, I can make this. I'll save my money and make my own! There were rabbits in pastel blues, pinks and greens with these really cute folk art type rabbits riding on their backs. Then, there were roosters in the same pastel shades with soft white polka dots on them. The roosters opened up so you could put all kinds of goodies inside and they had vintage looking Easter postcard images on their sides. Everything was all glittered and ohhh soooo cute! They also had yummy chocolate bars with vintage Easter postcard images as wrappers.

I did buy this super cute cappucino mug though. It's chocolate brown with pink polka dots on it and it came with a little notepad and pen! Oh and I found an Italian espresso maker too. I have always wanted one of those but just never went out to find one. So, when I saw it today for $7.99, I just had to have it! I came home and made myself a cappucino in my new mug with my new espresso maker and settled in for about a half hour to read my newest Romantic Homes magazine before the kiddies came home from school. Bliss! Hope you all are having a lovely afternoon!

Pay it Forward

Just a little glimpse of the Spring that is to come. I've got a real case of Spring fever here. These are last year's tulips but I know that in about 2 weeks, I'm going to see those little green leaves poking up through the ground! So, until then...

I have decided to participate in Deborah's Pay it Forward! Here's how it works...

If you would like to Pay it Forward - The first three people to leave a comment on this post saying they'd like to participate will receive a gift from me (Erin) in the next 365 days. The only condition is that those people who decide to participate will have to do the same on their blogs. Pay it Forward! Don't forget to specifically mention in your comment that you want to do this too.

Have fun!

Happy Sunday...

Hello...I do hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day. I know we did!! I feel bad though for my oldest - the school nurse called me because the poor dear got sick at school and I had to go and pick him up. He was sick on Valentine's Day!! He wasn't feeling well the next day either so I kept him at home and he missed his Valentine party at school (they had the classroom parties on Friday) I felt so bad for him. Saturday, he was finally feeling much better so we all went out to breakfast. And what do you think happened after we ate?? Yep...you guessed it, he got sick again! We just can't seem to get rid of this virus that is going around!! They have all had it. As the day went on though yesterday, he got much better and finally today, he's back to his old self again - YEAH!!!

Anyway...blogging went on hold while everyone was getting better so I didn't get to post any of my recent projects that I had been working on. I thought I'd catch up this morning!

So here's the first project

It's an old bench that I have had for awhile now but I didn't care for the color very much. I had been debating whether to paint it white or black - I just couldn't decide. I love two styles of decorating and I kind of have them both incorporated into our home. One is, of course, Shabby Chic/cottagey and the other is more of a French Country look. Color wise, polar opposites but I do love both styles. Anyway, I decided to go with the black since it's in my foyer and front hallway. Shabby Chic doesn't hit you until you step into the family room off the kitchen. I made a little heart shaped pillow of sorts out of some red checked fabric I had and then attached a red ribbon for hanging as well as a vintage chandelier crystal that my mom gave me. I also made a pillow for the bench out of some red and white toile fabric.

Here is the after picture of the completed bench

Then, I have this adorable garden statue out in my flower garden that my dad gave me several years ago. It's been outside since he gave it to me but I recently noticed that he has a little crack in his shoulder. I just love this statue though so I decided to bring him indoors out of the cold, fix him up, and give him a makeover!

I put him on this pretty little pedestal that I had and I'm quite happy with his new look - I think he is too! He looks right at home atop his perch standing guard over the newly painted bench!
I must admit though, I say a little prayer each day that one of my boys doesn't knock him over as they go running by!

So, as decorating goes, it's never really finished is it? I couldn't stop there so I changed the little vignette on the foyer entry table! I made a little topiary in an old cement urn that I had and placed it on the table with a couple of mirrors (one of them I painted black...hmmm...is black my new pink??? I think not - LOL) Anyway, then I added a black and white checked ribbon around a GIANT glass candle holder and tied it up in a pretty bow with an old key. As a final touch, I added a couple of paper roses that I made. So there you go - a new look for the entry foyer!

Here is a close up of my paper rose.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

And The Winner Is....

We have a winner!!

First though, I must say, I had such a wonderful time participating in OWOH! Thank you Lisa for such a fabulous idea and I can't wait to do it again next year!!

Thank you to all who participated in my giveaway, I used a random number generator to pick my winner.

Okay. Now for the moment you've all been waiting for...drumroll please...

The winner is...Becky from Art of Zinkibaru

Congratulations Becky and thanks for playing!!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all and I hope you all have a blessed day!

One World One Heart Giveaway

I just found this fabulous blog!! I'm a little slow but I've decided to join in the fun. It's the One World One Heart giveaway sponsored by Lisa Oceandreamer. The idea is to bring bloggers together from aroung the world! It's such a wonderful idea and the giveaway is open to anyone who leaves a comment on this post by February 14. So, make sure you leave a comment and I will draw a name on Valentine's Day. Also, make certain you leave contact information so that I can notify you if you have won. If you don't have a blog, be sure to leave an email address so that I can contact you that way! Go check out the One World One Heart blog - there are lots of other participants listed there!

Okay, so here is what you will get if you win! It's a journal that I've made with pretty papers, ribbons, tassels and cute flat glass marbles! Perfect for keeping a garden journal, recipe journal or simply to write down your thoughts. Good luck everyone!!

Here is a picture of the back of the journal.

*UPDATE*

I will draw a name and announce a winner at 3:30pm Eastern Time. All entries made by that time will be counted. I had THE BEST time with One World One Heart and I thank everyone who entered in my drawing. Good luck to you all and I hope you each have a fabulous, blessed Valentine's Day!!

A Fabulous Giveaway!!!!

Here is a fabulous giveaway that I just found here! You must hurry though because the deadline to enter is today, Feb. 4! Hurry on over and see this lovely blog and enter to win this wonderful book by Catherine Matthews Scanlon!!!

Good Luck!!