Hello hello, happy Friday!  Announcing the winner of last week’s Shabby Apple Giveaway, congratulations to #306 Alicia Larson and #1,212 Rylann Johnson.  Ladies, look for an email from me!

This weekend’s giveaway comes to you from Shutterfly, a fabulous source for all of your photo needs and creations, from canvas art to personalized gifts to photo printing. 

I’m particularly impressed with Shutterfly’s photo books, have you seen all the layout options available?  My very good friend takes all her pictures of her kids from their summer adventures, and has them made into a photo book every fall.  She showed me her collection the other day, and I got a little weepy.  Seriously, such a brilliant idea to have a series of ‘Summer Fun’ books from every year!  

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It’s not Thanksgiving, it’s Cinco de Mayo, but today I am thankful for a few things, and I thought you should know.   

I am thankful for my five year old boy, because only he can explain to me the significance of the pink ninja hostage situation happening atop this Jenga skyscraper.

I am thankful for oranges because they look pretty on trees, and they are a key ingredient in one of my favorite cakes. You can find my recipe for orange cake in The Lettered Cottage E-zine, including the easy trick for making those fancy shmancy curls with orange peels.  

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Hey busy ladies and gents, I know I’m not alone in the constant barrage of papers that enter the house on a daily basis.  From mail to magazines to school notices, paper clutter piles up so darn quick you could drown in it.  Despite my best efforts to go paperless, I find there is still a constant stream of paper, paper, and more paper coming through the door. 

It used to pile up in my house until I thought it would eat me alive.  It used to give me such anxiety, but I finally developed a system that really works for me.  The real key for me was eliminating as much as I could, and then finding a place for what was leftover.  I think that’s the key for keeping just about anything organized: purge often, and have a place for what remains, then you’ll stay sane. 

My method for paper organization isn’t sexy and I’m no organizational pro.  I can guarantee you there is no Pinterest worthy perfectly painted and organized command central armoire (I wish, maybe someday!)  I was asked about a month ago by a reader how I keep it all organized, so here are a few of the tricks I use to control my paper clutter. 

1.  Identify It.  It took me years to figure this out, but now in hindsight it seems so simple.  The very best trick I ever came up with was sitting down with my piles of paper clutter and making a list of exactly each type of paper that was coming into my house, then creating a solution for each one. 

Solutions I Came Up With:

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You’re all going to think I’m cah-ray-zah-eee.  Cuckoo.  Send me to the funny farm.  But let it be heard all across the land, I’m doing even more tweaking in our master bedroom.  After months of debate, it’s been settled that we will be keeping much of the dark wood antique furniture in the space including two dressers and an armoire.  The dark wood pieces are a little old fashioned for my taste, so I’ve got to design around them and give the space more modern appeal.  

I decided to freshen a bit more with the colors I love: gray, blue, green, white and bronze, and also bring in some textural elements like the woven shades I had cut today at Lowes, plus some other linen textiles too.

I’m also making another huge change.  Don’t freak out, but I’m painting over last year’s stenciled lattice wall.  *audible gasp*   Yes, I am actually going to do it.  I have to if I’m going to change the paint color in my room to coordinate with the new bedding, but fear not, the good news is I still have the stencil and I can always recreate it again. 

There is a method to my madness.  I’ve been in love with this mirror and this bedding for quite some time, so when I discovered I could snag both at a discount I took the plunge.  I reason if I spend 30+% of my day in my bedroom, it should be a reflection of everything I love.  And the mister too.   I’m supposed to say that.  (Got to factor in the husband’s tastes too, nothing too floral or girly, right?)  

Just recently I found this bench at Home Goods, but the zebra fabric didn’t work for my room. Now it’s now recovered in spa blue velvet (a score at $3 for a remnant) and the legs refinished in Krylon’s ‘Caramel Latte’ spray paint, plus nailhead trim too. 

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I like to make a lot of stuff, it’s in my DNA.  I dabble in home décor, interior design, power tools, poignant deep thoughts, and every now and then, a great recipe.  This is my latest homemade concoction and I’m telling you, this one’s a goodie.  

I whipped up this delicious treat the other day, and my hub called it his favorite ‘dessert’ to date.  I hesitate to really call it a dessert.  I like to label it something more nutrition friendly.  Five servings of fruit per day are recommended doncha know, so let’s pretend this recipe is meant to keep you at your healthiest. 

Easy Raspberry Rhubarb Crumble

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