Greetings, I hope you had a lovely weekend!  I spent mine mostly indoors with big rainstorms hitting our area, so I had a little fun inside doing some crafting.   

I had two quarts of tinted chalkboard paint sitting in my garage, waiting for some projects I plan to get to in the near future.  I couldn’t resist the idea of ‘sampling’ the colors this past weekend making some colored chalkboard vases.  Fun fun fun!  Something about the notion of leaving sentimental or seasonal notes on glass appealed to me, so I tinkered around creating a few versions around the house.  

Every time I bring home fresh flowers, whether from the grocery store or farmer’s market, my 7 year old asks me for a single stem for her room.  Love that!  I thought it would be sweet to make a little chalkboard vase for her in a bright colored paint , one where I could write little encouraging notes or endearing sentiments. 

This bud vase was created with Rust-Oleum’s ‘Raspberry’ shade. 

And this gray label with Hudson Paint’s ‘So Stone’ tint:

This is such a fun way to personalize vases, whether for you, or for a housewarming gift, or perhaps someone recovering from illness.  These make a great gift for friends too! 

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The good news is, it’s Friday and also Spring Break!  The bad news is that I read it is scheduled to rain all weekend and all next week.  Of all weeks, why why why did it have to be Spring Break?  I was hoping to do some gardening and have some outdoor adventures too.  Boo.

Well, I decided if I couldn’t spend my week outdoors, then I would just have to bring a wee bit o’ spring indoors instead!  A quick trip to the market for some ranunculus, and some daffodils from mother nature inspired a few pops of yellow in the living room this season. 

I shopped all around my house for some accessories for the living room mantel to brighten this room.  I pulled one of my citrus trees indoors for the the month and then threw last year’s outdoor pillows on the sofa and chair.  The gray geometric cashmere throw I found on clearance at Tar-jay last year. 

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Friends, you know I am a lover of food.  I love gorgeous images of simple recipes, they often send me to the store on a quest to replicate a fabulous dish that very day.  The same thing happens when I see an creative and stylish craft idea, it also inspires me to go to the craft store and create something special of my own.  As a lover of both food and crafting, I chanced upon Sweet Paul magazine last year, and since then have read every issue from cover to cover. 

Sweet Paul is the online magazine creation of food and prop stylist Paul Lowe. The first issue came out only one year ago, and it never fails to deliver easy elegant recipes, fun and easy crafts, and simple entertaining ideas too.  Naturally, whenever there is a new issue, it prompts me to run to both the grocery and the craft store on the very same day.   

Image credit: Alexandra Grablewski

As a huge fan, I was prompted to write to Paul and ask him to share a little about himself, and also what motivates and inspires him in his creations.  Today, I’m excited to bring you our Q & A, which I know will leave you inspired, and most likely, hungry. 

CG:  Hello Paul!  Please tell us when you knew you wanted to become a stylist, and about your humble beginnings in the industry that eventually led to working with publications like Country Living, Domino, and Real Simple magazines.   

PL: I never wanted to be a stylist, but I used to be a florist 20 years ago and fell into the styling business by accident and I have loved every minute ever since.  I used to work in Norway but after I moved here 5 years ago I have been lucky enough to work with some amazing clients.

Image credit: Frances Janisch

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I often get that question, “Hey Kate, are your kids’ rooms always as organized as they appear?” and I have to smile.  In truth, I find it completely impossible to keep kids’s rooms clean and organized all of the time.   Most days you can barely see the floor because my two little monkeys have managed to pull everything out.  They’re kids, they do what kids do best.  They eat, they play, the sleep.  And in between, they make a whole lotta messes.  

I have a few tactics I use, but to answer the big question on how to best keep kids’ spaces organized, I invited my good friend Cristin from Simplified Bee to offer a few tips.  Cristin is a busy mom of two girls, and a professional organizer too.  She’s a real pro when it comes to this topic. 

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So Cristin, tell us all your secrets.  What are the best ways to keep those kid spaces clean and organized? 

“Keeping kids’ rooms organized is a challenge for most parents. How many of us have cleaned our child’s room only to find it turned upside down in minutes. And if you have a collector {dolls, rocks or toy cars} it can be especially painful to keep the space neat. Here are some helpful tips to help organize kids’ rooms:

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I popped into World Market over the weekend because I heard they were having a rug sale.  I was desperate for a new area rug, and when I say desperate I mean desperate with a capital D.   I’ve had the same cream Berberish carpet rug in my family room for two years, and with kids n’ pets n’ friends’ n’ snacks n’ all that loveliness, the carpet was looking very ‘Eww’.

World Market was having a sale on 6’ x 9’ rugs and 6’ x 9’ is the magic size in my house.  6’ x 9’ fits in the family room, the dining room, and the living room too, but hot dang if it isn’t hard to find an affordable stylish 6’ x 9’ rug.   They’re always 5’ x 8’ (too small) or 8’ x 10’ (too big).  Or maybe I’m just not looking in the right places.

After I scored my new rug on clearance, I couldn’t help but notice World Market had some pretty snazzy fabric napkins in their linens department, 2 for $6 dollars, nice!

I always think pillows when I see sassy stylish cloth napkins like this, because that’s one inexpensive pillow cover if you’re willing to take the time to sew them together.  But I’ve already done that.

Then I remembered there’s a lot of you out there that don’t own a sewing machine or don’t sew, and I reckoned I could show y’all how to do it without Mr. Singer.

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Simple No Sew Removable Pillow Covers made from Cloth Napkins:

What You’ll Need:   Two cloth napkins measuring 20” x 20”; fusible web (found at any fabric store); moist washcloth; scissors; iron.

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