We Have A WINNER

For this....

FAB HANDBAG / DIAPER BAG / BEACH BAG
My random number generator.....
She closed her eyes.....
AND THE WINNER IS.....

Thanx to all who entered! If you are interested in the bag, $24.95 which INCLUDES shipping....just shoot me a message or leave a comment!

GoodBUY Swoozies

Have y'all heard of Swoozies? If not lemme fill ya in....the name alone is TOO fun right? Go ahead say it (not in your head -out LOUD)....it's was a fun tongue in cheek preppy monogram heaven. They had paper and invites galore, monograms, you want monograms they had 20 (does anyone get that I was typing that to the tune of The Little Mermaid....thingamabobs I've got 20....) fun paper napkins, etc. Anyway, I read on Katie's blog @ Harrington House that she went to her store and they were going outta business...I called my Swoozies and they had 4 days to go....ooooh....sad :(

I picked up some FAB brown zebra print napkins, a sterling silver charm bracelet with several monogram charms that'll be going on Ebay as none of them are mine) and this....

FUN FAB colored beach pool bag (and perfect timing as vacay is just around the corner) BUT fab can always be FAB-er (I know I know, not a real word but in my dictionary it is)

So I gathered my supplies (a crown printed out from the net and a sharpie....originally I was going to paint BUT that left too much room for error on my part)
Traced the crown and simply colored in (I needed my carpal tunnel / crafter brace afterwards BUT think it came out great)
Don't you agree?

I have linked up here....

GIVEAWAY MONDAY!!

Hello girls! While out shopping this weekend I spotted a FAB handbag / beach bag / lunch bag / diaper bag / craft bag (you get the idea) I KNEW y'all would LOVE! Yummy fresh summer colors and the print that is popping up all over blogworld! Check it out.....

I am GIVING this away to you! It's easy to enter! Leave me a comment and you will be entered once, become a follower and you will be entered an ADDITIONAL time! You have until midnight Thursday to enter! I will draw a name on Friday!

I thought she might look pretty against this teal color and she sure does!!
oooh, so ORGANIZED....compared to my beloved Coach purse

2 EXTERIOR pockets....I put my lipglosses in one (ya know for easy access) and my zebra print re-usable coffee sleeve, anti-bacterial hand sani from Bath & Body)

Check out this Hip Momma's blog "Little Bits and PIeces of me" here http://futuremrsk.blogspot.com/ for a FUN giveaway!

Here's what my piggies look like now....
LOVE the color Noelle's giving away!

I wanna be like 9 by Design!

I ADORE Bob and Courtny's style! Edgy, fun, sophisticated and funky! I LOVE that they push the envelope! I am adopting more of that philosophy and being true to my design style at my shop. If you haven't seen the show, check it out here http://www.bravotv.com/9-by-design. In the season finale on Tuesday they had a grapevine wreath that had a peace sign in the center - it was so awesome! (I tried to find a pic but no luck) The moment I saw it I KNEW I had to try my hand at one...so off to Goodwill I went in search of CHEAP grapevine wreaths...

Then I got my tools ready....

Disassembled the larger thin wreath for my "parts"

BUT then I needed a straight stick....hmmmm, where can I find one of those? My dead rose bush of course!
aahhh, the vision coming to fruition.....
This is the day I wish I had a white door.....then you could see the wreath so much better....

As we all know one project leads to another.....

My Porch BEFORE.....
AFTER....implementing my new garage sale find (I didn't take the hook off the basket cuz I am not sure it's staying there and if it does I will re-plant in a terracotta pot that I have)

I want y'all to know that use what you have also works in the garden....

I had these urns with 1/2 dead ferns, so I split the living ferns between the two pots dug up some Rumex (the green and red veined "spike") and some snapdragons that were growing katewompus and VIOLA! I have 2 cute free planters!

I have linked up here.....

And here http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

and here...

Stop by and check out more FAB ideas!

STAY TUNED....COME BACK MONDAY to see what I am GIVING away! It involves yellow and white and the NEW FAVE pattern of blog readers!

Garage Sale Season

Is in full swing here in the Midwest! I haven't had a chance to frequent but one or two this year because I have been so busy at the shop! This morning I woke to a gorgeous 68 degree sunny day, so my lil guy and I headed out to see what we could find! We made a list:

*Sisal Rug (for the patio)

*Fishing Lures (for his lil fishing hat)

*Jewelry

*Cars or Trucks (his wish)

Our loot....

Jewelry - ✔

(although you can't see it that well I got a pearl necklace, a coffee colored fresh water pearl necklace, sterling bangle and a fun link necklace I plan to use in my altered jewelry)

No Sisal Rugs

Car or Truck - ✔

(For some reason I cannot get that pic to upload.....thought y'all might like to see the firetruck Mickey dropped on my flip-flopp wearin foot)

We FORGOT to look for fishing hooks (although if we did see some I'm sure it would've jogged our memories).
Not a dead animal hanging off the end of the wheelbarrow, it's a scarf made of fur (or I guess some would call it a dead animal), pale blue vintage slip with GREAT lace detailing, cute lil leopard boots (which I plan to use as porch decor) some silver pieces (just can't get enough of those bad birds!) the broken hose I plan to make a cute garden wreath out of.....
....and the patriotic wooden basket already has found a spot on my front porch (come back saturday to see that, a mini-makeover on the porch and my new wreath).

White Wednesday

It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most, it's making a big deal out of the little ones. ~Jean Webster
I LOVE that quote....reminds me to stop and enjoy life as it's happening...all the small moments! Cute lil frame is nestled in a whitewashed tray among my great aunt's pearly necklaces.

Next is a FAB find! It was one of those oil painting type framed pictures that I turned into a chalkboard. This is one of my FAV makeovers EVAH! In the pic the frame looks golden but in real life it's a white frame with a golden wash to accent the raised work.
You may have noticed that small rectangle on the wall to the right of the chalkboard....it's a galvanized rectangle pan.....
...which houses my chalk, papertowel and future quotes.
I have all of these vintage trims that have just been lying around and last week I had the idea to make a banner out of them....

But first the iron and I had to get friendly.....once they were all ironed out, I laid them out into a pleasing pattern and gently tacked them onto a ribbon (in case I ever want to use them for something else, they'll be easy to remove). HERE is the finished product....

I wasn't sure you could see the detail on the sueded wall, so I tried another one (not crazy about the way it looks against the purple....too stark)

Close up details of each piece.....



How SWEET would this look for a baptism, christening, spiritual dedication, bridal shower, wedding, tea party, etc?!? If you are interested, item is for sale.

While the iron was out, I whipped this together.....

Have a ROCKIN' Wednesday! I have linked up here http://www.fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/