Oh, happy day, we are off on a mini vacay this weekend. . .  gotta clean the house, pack some gear, and hope I don’t forget anything.  So excited for a three day getaway!

Can you guess where we’re going ?

I’ve got a very exciting giveaway planned for next week . . a certain digital craft cutting tool that I used to create these fun projects, sneaky peek! 

Before I leave, the lucky winners of the Cute As Pie Office Supplies giveaway are. . .

#83 Style Struggler who wrote:

“Ahh, I’m irredeemably hooked on office supplies, and the cuter the better. I’m a list maker so would definitely be in the market for a Weekly Organizer. But their Jumbo To-Do clips caught me eye too.”

#387 Emily at Mock Off who wrote:

“This giveaway came at the perfect time! I just started a brand new job and just today I was thinking my poor cubical needs some spunk. I would stock up on pretty magazine holders and CERTAINLY the botanical file tote. Great giveaway – THANKS!”

For a fun read, check out this interview with me over at Blog Guidebook. 

Wishing you a lovely weekend, see y’all next week. 

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Happy Friday all, just a quick note to let you know that I’ve welcomed some new sponsors, please allow me to introduce them. 

Thirteen Bees Vintage is an Etsy shop of carefully selected wearable vintage clothing for the stylish woman.  

This shop has been featured everywhere from Design*Sponge to Glamour magazine, pop on by Thirteen Bees Vintage and take a peek at these fabulous fashion finds.

Pure and Lovely was founded by an extraordinary design team made up of college sweethearts. 

This incredibly talented couple offers a long list of design services, including interior, graphic and fabric design, original art, and revamped vintage furniture.  Pop on over and have a look at their inspiring blog and Etsy shop. 

Sweet Anne Vintage is a great place to shop for unique vintage finds, like this Westinghouse fan, Polaroid camera, fois bois champagne bucket, and brass apple.  Love them all !

Megan Gillis Jewelry has some of the prettiest baubles around ~ I’ve already fallen in love with several of her earrings, in fact, I think I want all of these.  So so pretty.

Many thanks to all of my sponsors for your support ! 

I’ll be back later today to announce the winners of the Cute As Pie Giveaway, and with a sneak peek at the latest crafts I’ve been working on . . . until then, have a splendid morning. 

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School starts in less than three weeks for us, and I’m in no way ready for fall. 

When summer began I had the same feeling I think many moms do, dreading wondering how I was going to fill all those summer days.  But I forgot just how wonderful summer really is.  Sleeping in every morning past eight, lounging around the house in our pajamas, with the only commitment being a daily swim lesson.   There’s no rushing, no homework, and no real bedtime.  We’ve all settled quite nicely into a daily routine of very little. 

There’s been some motorcycle racing between Blue Guy and Yellow Guy.

Plenty of free playtime, bedhead and messes . . .

wild pony rides . . .

. . . and a little mutiny.  

I’m loving this summer spent with my munchkins.

And ever since I discovered this, we’ve stayed plenty busy making a lot of this. 

Time does what it does well, it flies incredibly fast.  It is hard to accept the kids are back to school in less than three weeks.   I look forward to a real schedule and more time for all those projects that have been placed on the back burner, but I am determined to enjoy what’s left of this break. 

You’ll forgive me if the pace around here is a little slower during the next two weeks.  You see, we’re incredibly busy savoring summer ~ there are only 19 days left.   

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Oh the fabulousness just keeps on coming!   I received pictures of this settee revamp from a reader, and I am loving it.  Nina is a textile designer in San Francisco with a company called Swanky Swell, don’t you just love that name ?

Nina writes:

“I love your blog! I’d like to share with you the before and after of an antique settee I recently restored.  When I found this old settee, the fabric was outdated and the webbing was a complete shot. However, I was drawn to the shape of the frame and its Victorian style.  It had great bones to work with and I really saw potential in it, so I decided to give it another life.

I am a textile designer from the San Francisco Bay Area and I decided to restore this settee using one of my organic prints for the front and a matching solid in eggplant color for the back. The fabric is an upholstery weight certified organic cotton.  The frame was lacquered in high gloss black and new webbing and foam were installed. Double welt in the solid eggplant finishes the look.”

Before:

After:

Nina’s original textile designs are available for you online at Swanky Swell.  Here’s a few of her stylish prints I’d love to bring into my home!

Aren’t they lovely ?  You can also purchase Nina’s fabrics in her Etsy shop. 

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I was oh so giddy to receive a note from a reader that he had recently stenciled his walls with an amazing trellis pattern in his living room just like I did in our master bedroom.  

Courtney wrote:

“I have been reading your blog for awhile now and love everything about it, and because you are in the Bay Area!  Your blog motivated me me to create my own Jonathan Adler "lite" lamp using parts from the St. Vincent de Paul store in Oakland and to do some plantings in my garden/patio.  However, when I saw you were stenciling your wall, I thought I would share a recent project I just completed for my living room.  While I was not as industrious as yourself in making my own stencil (I bought it online) our desire for a similar pattern is evident.”

Before:

After:

Doesn’t his living room have that ‘wow’ factor with that amazing wall ?   I also love the gray sofa, the shag rug, and the Lucite coffee table.  Completely fantastic Courtney!

Courtney purchased a trellis stencil online ~ you can read his entire tutorial right here  including the paint colors and tricks he used to achieve this stunning effect, and the source of his fabulous stencil. 

Love it!

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