What's Your Favorite Room? Linky Party

It's time to party, people!  Show me a favorite room inside (or outside) of your home.  Show me your recently remodeled room.  Link it up for all of blogland to see.  This is the time to show everyone what your style is.  A time to show off your diy/decorating skills.  And a time to meet some people who like to rearrange furniture and paint everything in site like all of us do.  You do that too, don't you?


OK, so here's the deal.  I hate rules. So for this party, there are no rules.  Just play nice!


Do you want to link up more than one room?  OK.  


Do you want to link up a room that you remodeled months ago?  OK.  Can you just use an old post to link it up?  Sure, why not.

Don't have a recent remodel?  That's OK, just link up a favorite room in your house.   One that you really live in...those are always fun.

Coming SOON...What's Your Favorite Room Linky Party

I'm going to attempt to have another "What's Your Favorite..." linky party.  This time it's all about rooms.  The rooms inside (and outside) of your home.  What is a favorite room in your home?  The kitchen, living room, bedroom, porch, etc.... Yes, outside rooms count.  Are you loving your porch, deck or gazebo right now because of the beautiful weather?


Did you recently remodel a room in your house that you are especially proud of and want to show off?  I've seen some beautiful bedroom, kitchen and laundry room remodels lately around blogland.  And yes, porch, deck, garage, patios, etc....remodels count too.


Don't have a new post about the room you remodeled last year but would like to enter it.  OK, just link up your "old" post.  Or, write a new one.  It's up to you. Can't decide which room to link up?  You can link up more than one. 


And, if you're linking up a room in your home that you just love to be in, please don't think you have to clean or stage it just for this.  I would love to see some real lived in rooms not just "museum spaces".  Do your kids use your dining table as a play table? Or use your hallway as their personal racquetball court?   I love that.


Here is an example using a favorite room of mine.   It's my kitchen.  Not to cook in, but to eat in, haha.  If anyone comes to my house, we gravitate towards the kitchen.

I have added more to my kitchen in the past year than any other room in my house.  I just love being in there. Here are some of the things I've done to it in the past several months.


This first picture was taken during the time that I painted a backsplash above my countertop.  I also painted the hardware with my beloved oil rubbed bronze spray paint (it was shiny gold).  It's also an example of a messy kitchen.  Just look at all that stuff on the counters. Ha!

I added three shelves to the kitchen space to give me something to decorate.  I painted all three of them with ASCP in Chateau Grey.  I just love that color and used some of it in the painted back splash.

These are all pictures from some of my previous posts.  See what I mean by using "old" stuff?  I'm transitioning the shelves from a Spring theme to a Summer theme now.  I know it's early but in the South, Summer begins in May.

OK, I'll post the link up in the morning.  Please, help me spread the word about this.  I'm going to be bugging all my fb and twitter followers about it tonight. Hehe :)

My Design Crush

Do you have a favorite designer?  Someone who you admire and dream of owning some of their creations.


I do.  My design crush is Tracy Porter.  She is a designer of pottery, furniture, paper goods, home decor, fabrics, clothing and accessories.  And I have been hooked on her whimsical and free spirited sense of design for over 10 years.

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Her personal story of success is as amazing as her designs.  As a young couple, she and her husband John left the glitz and glamour of professional modeling and city life to move to the countryside of rural Wisconsin. There, they turned an 100 year old stone farmhouse into a place of comfort.  With a small starting loan from her parents, Tracy and her husband started a small business in a chicken coop on their farm.  They began designing beautiful hand painted pottery and furniture that quickly became a worldwide sensation. 

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From there, their business blossomed and Tracy began adding fabrics, home decor, jewelry, and clothing to her repertoire.  She currently lives in California with her husband and four young sons.  She has a blog (that I stalk) and an online shop, poetic wanderlust. 

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My love for Tracy Porter's design started years ago when I bought one of her design books.  The dessert plate and cup followed.

My collection grew.  Most of it is pottery, dishes, vases and picture frames.  I love to display it in my home but usually don't have enough room to put all of it out in one place.  One day, I'd love to have a hutch or shelving unit to display it properly.  I put some of it together on an antique table to take this picture:

My favorite pieces in this group come from the "Evelyn" collection.  The design is a beautiful combination of florals and berries among a cream and green trellis.  The exquisite frame holds a black and white photo of my grandparents with my father as a baby.  I cherish it.

I made a collage with more pictures of the pieces that I own.  My camera does not do justice to the beautiful handpainted glass vase in the top left corner.  It's beyond gorgeous!

In addition to the collection that I own, I have some of my favorite items of hers pinned on my "Tracy Porter Collection" board on Pinterest.

Here is a sample of her Home Decor Collection,

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Clothing,

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Jewelry and Accessories.

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One of the things that I love about Tracy Porter's designs is the mixing and layering of patterns.  For example, here is a dinnerware collection that is designed to be layered.  Isn't it beautiful.

Marisol dinnerware

And this tiered platter is on my "must have" list right now.  I think it's discontinued but I will find one....somehow (ebay?)

Tracy Porter Marisol Tiered Platter

She recently wrote a post on her blog about layering rugs...

I could talk and post pictures about this lovely woman forever but I must limit myself.  I have never seen a designer put so much love and emotion in his/her designs before.  I think that's why I'm so attracted to her carefree, vintage, eclectic style.  It simply makes me smile :) 

Note:  As I was preparing this post, I noticed that Tracy Porter was talking about Pinterest on her blog.  I got up the courage to leave a comment to let her know about my "Tracy Porter collection" board and...she replied back immediately.  The best part, she left a comment on my pin of her book!  I consider it my an "autographed copy" now, haha.  See, she loves my board!  Squeal!

One more thing.  Sorry, but I have to scream this:  TRACY PORTER IS FOLLOWING ME ON PINTEREST!!!!!!

Hopping Highlights

I spent this past weekend enjoying some of the fabulous blog hops happening around blogland.  Including the one that I helped co-host, Follow Along (with me) on Pinterest by Aimee of byAimee.com.  So today, I want to share some of the great pins and blogs that I found.


I'll start with  Anne.  I first "met" Anne by way of her Pinterest boards.  She had linked up to the Pinterest blog hop and when I saw her boards, I loved everything she had pinned.  I just wanted to repin all of her stuff!  Here is a sample of some of her pins.

Well, of course, I just had to visit her blog, Design Dreams by Anne.  I mean she seemed to be on the same "design page" as I was so I knew I would like her blog.  Holy, moley was I ever right.  Her blog is full of great inspiration and insight.  Just look at two of her recent projects that I'm in love with.

Another pinner that I adore is Tranae.  She also joined us in the Pinterest blog hop and I immediately fell in love with her boards.  Here is a sample.

I knew I liked this girl when I saw these pins.

Yes, I have a love of tattoos and I hoard purses.  Bet you didn't know that about me.   I have a tattoo of my firstborn son's name on my ankle.  I got it when I was 31 years old.  I love it and would do it again in a heartbeat.  As for the purses, just ask my mom or sister.  I own so many that I've run out of space in my closet.  They need their own room.


Tranae's blog, Becoming Fabulous, is a lifestyle blog and you can see it here.  I want to see a picture of her closet.  Maybe pinned on her Pinterest boards somewhere?  Just a suggestion, Tranae (hehe).


As much as I enjoyed looking at all of the great pin boards linked up, I made myself only choose two pinners to highlight in this post.  It was hard to choose.  There are some awesome pinners out there!  You can see more great boards at byAimee's Pinterest follow up post here.


If you know me then you know I love a good blog hop.  Meeting people that have the same interests that I do is one of the primary reasons that I started blogging.   I participated in some really good blog hops this past weekend and here are a few of my favorite new bloggy friends.


Aimee at It's Overflowing.

Elena at La Petite Vie.

Claire at a little something in the meantime.

Please take time to visit these ladies.  You'll love their blogs!


Stop by tomorrow to meet my "design crush".

A Big Welcome and Future Plans

First, I want to say "WELCOME" to all of my new followers!  I have so enjoyed the blog hops going around blogland this weekend and have met some amazing people.  Not to mention, the wonderful pinners that joined in the Pinterest follow along party that I helped co-host with Aimee (of byAimee.com) on Friday.  I added some great pins to my boards and discovered some awesome pinners out there.


I'll share some of my discoveries with you later in the week but I have to attend to my '"other life" for a while first.  Several months ago, I alluded to this "other life" that I have in this post.  So I'll show you some recent pictures of what my day is usually filled with.  


I spend most of my day (and night) taking care of this sweet little man, my 9-year old son.

He requires alot of attention and is totally dependent on others for pretty much everything.  But, oh so sweet!


Here is one of his (and my) favorite things to do during the day.

He sits in my lap in "our" chair.  He is sleeping in the above picture and you see what I'm doing (besides trying to hide my face...I hate pictures of me).  Yep, I'm on the computer.  See the mouse in my right hand? I'm probably cruising around Pinterest in that picture, ha.


I have my little chair setup.  My computer, coffee and my son's supplies and medications are all within reach.


When we're not at home, we load up into the mini-van for trips to numerous doctor appointments.

Haha, I just noticed that he's sleeping in this picture too.  Just like his his mama, he can sleep anywhere.


So while I do some mommy business, get yourselves ready for my next linky party.  I'm calling it the "What is your favorite ROOM?" linky party.  You can link up and show off a favorite room in your house or apartment, a newly remodeled room or an "outside room" (like a porch).  


If you have a new remodel to show off, just link up a new post about it or one that you have written in the past year.  I have seen some amazing remodels of kitchens, laundry rooms, craft rooms, man caves, etc. floating around blogland recently so come join us and show them off.


Don't have a recent remodel that you love?  Or you do and, like me, your children have almost destroyed it?  Then link up pictures of a room that you love to spend time in.  And, as a special request from me, please don't clean it up first for the pictures.  Clean rooms will make your host feel guilty about her not-so clean and organized house.   Besides, it's nice to see pictures of "lived in homes".  Just want to keep it real :)


OK, here are the details.

The party will be on April 29, 2012.  You can link up more than one room if you want to.  The room(s) you pick to show off should be a reflection of you and your decorating style.  I'll be talking more about this as the week continues.  


I'll also be putting the yellow circle button for this linky party on my sidebar with a HTML code grab box.  Please consider putting this button on your blog to help me spread the word.  Thanks :)

It's Pinterest Blog Hop Time...Come Join The Fun!

Pinterest

Ready for the weekend?  Got any special plans?


Or, are you staying at home all weekend watching the paint dry?  (haha, a little DIY joke there)


Well I've got the perfect thing for you to do.  Spend all of your free time cruising around Pinterest while your family starves and the dirty laundry piles up.  You know you want to.

Pinterest

Need another reason?  Do you want to snoop around other people's Pinterest boards when they're not looking?  Yeah, me too.


Here is the perfect excuse.  I have the honor of co-hosting a "Follow Along (with me) Friday on Pinterest" with Aimee from byAimee.com and three other ladies.  It's a blog hop, Pinterest style!  Fun, fun, fun!


Are you ready to meet people that have the same interests as you?  Do you want to make new friends?  Pinterest can do that.  Let me prove it to you.  


About a year ago, I was reading my favorite blogs and came upon one that mentioned this thing called Pinterest.  I had never heard of it before so I went to check it out.  I was immediately hooked.


When I saw that I needed an invitation from a current user to join quickly, I went back to the blog that I was reading and asked the blog owner for an invitation.  That sweet lady was Mindy from Rindy Mae.  She got me in the front door and I started building my own Pinterest account.  Now I've got over 10,000 pins. You could say that I'm a little addicted.

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Mindy and I have been BFF's (bloggy friends forever) ever since.  Pop on over to her blog and say hello and have a looksie at her 3 kids.  They're the cutest things west of the Mississippi!

OK, I'll shut up and get to the fun stuff.


Join us in the "Follow Along (with me) Friday on Pinterest" blog hop.  Here's how:

   Click here to go to Aimee's blog and link up your Pinterest URL.

IF you want to share our little get together, please tweet: “love Pinterest? follow along with @byAimeeSki today at http://wp.me/p1yWH4-cN.” or you can always tell your peeps on Facebook too!

I hope you will join us in this FUN blog hop.  I look forward to seeing everyone's Pinterest boards and following along.

Have a GREAT weekend!

More Vintage Handkies...an Etsy Shopping Spree!

I went on a bit of a shopping spree this past weekend.  If you read my blog last week, you'll remember that I had a hankering for vintage hankies and wanted some...like, now.  That led me to etsy.  And let's just say that my credit card is still exhausted.


I put in a search for "vintage handkerchiefs" on etsy and came up with over 19,000 results.  Jackpot!  I ended up buying a few, OK alot, from the etsy shop, AllVintageHankies.  They were shipped super fast and I received them yesterday.  


They are gorgeous!  I love them.  I wanted to display them immediately.  So I made this:

I painted a wooden dowel with some AS chateau gray paint that I had left over from another project and hot glued some mini clothespins to it (space apart equally, or roughly so - I didn't measure).   I painted the mini clothespins with some smoky purple craft paint.

I suspended the dowel under one of my kitchen shelves (also painted with AS chateau gray) from bracket to bracket.  Then I hung up all of the hankies from the clothespins.  


I use this shelf to decorate with things that I like...my current obsession being birdnests, spring flowers and, of course, vintage hankies.  


I recently redecorated my shelf when a certain package arrived in the mail a few days ago (no, not the hankies).  Remember when Gina from Random Thoughts had an amazing Spring Giveaway?

Well, guess who won it?  Me!  THANK YOU, GINA! 


Guess what I did with it?  Put it in my "place of honor"...my kitchen shelf.  So here she is, decorated with my new lovelies and dangling with my new vintage hankies.

Just look at that chicken wire cloche...I just love it!  The print next to it (on the stand) was in the giveaway also and I already had the rectangular bird print.  They match so good.  I also had the little white bird. The small globe holds the book page flowers that I made a few weeks ago.  Lastly, the aqua jar was another etsy purchase (months ago).


The giveaway also included a sweet bird's nest that I have displayed on a stand that I made (here) on my kitchen counter.  I think it can be seen there better than on the shelf.  I absolutely love the colors of it.

Oh, I'm in love! 

I'll be posting more about that little space in my kitchen soon (I hope).  It's my "mom space", my hub, so to speak.  And it needs re-decorganizing (new word).   But that's OK, I love new projects/challenges :)

Linking to:

Have a Daily Cup from Mrs. Olson's Share Your Cup Thursday
House of Hepworth's Hookin' Up with HOH
Live Laugh Rowe's Live Laugh{Linky}Thursday
The 36th Avenue's Link Party
A Creative Princess' It's A Party
I Gotta Create's The Mother Lode Linky Party
The Sasse Life's Crafty Sasse Wednesday Link Party
Crafty, Scrappy, Happy. Me. Thursday
Happy Hour Projects' Happy Hour Friday
French Country Cottage's Feathered Nest Friday
Redoux's Friday Feature Party
At The Picket Fence's Inspiration Friday
My Repurposed Life's Catch As Catch Can
504 Main's Tickled Pink
The Shabby Nest's Frugal Friday
A Rosie Sweet Home's Sunday Round Up
Natasha in Oz's Say G'day Saturday Linky Party