Greetings all, just popping in from my “week of relaxation” and mini blog break to bring you a great giveaway from my sponsor Simplify 101.  Are you feeling the need to get your clutter under control?  Be more organized and get more done?

I’ve adopted some strategies from the tips over at Simplify 101 because effective decluttering helps me spend less time straightening and more time devoted to my family.  Having an organized home is one way to make more time to be creative too.

Aby Garvey is the voice behind Simplify 101 and she is an organizing and productivity expert!  I love her motto, “More Fun, More Done”.  

Three readers will have the opportunity to win a free Quick + Simple Clutter Control online workshop, beginning August 16th, just in time for back to school!  In this three week workshop, you’ll be equipped with essential decluttering tactics to keep you better organized and also learn new habits that effectively keep clutter at bay.

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Eligibility for three winners to win the Quick + Simple Clutter Control workshop:

1)  Tell your biggest organizational challenge or clutter problem in a comment.  Is it your closet or a particular living space?   Share where you need organizational help!

2) For extra chances to win, link to this giveaway on Facebook, and/or tweet about this giveaway on Twitter, then leave additional comments telling where you mentioned this giveaway (FB or Twitter).

Three winners chosen by Random.org.  Giveaway ends Friday August 12th at 8 p.m.

And if you want everyday organizing tips sent to your inbox, be sure to sign up for the weekly quick tip and organizing newsletter too!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

The three winners are:  #98 Liz Harrington; #108 Becky O; and #214 Rhonda S.  You’ve all received an email from me and Simplify 101, congratulations! 

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Hey all, hope your weekend was swell.  We’re in ‘last week of summer’ mode around here which means relaxation is priority number one until school starts next week.  However I did manage to squeeze in a few front porch improvements over the past few days. 

I’ve long been in love with the idea of painting the front door something other than white.  All the colors of the rainbow seemed too strong and all wrong, and since the stucco is yellowish in tone, gray seemed the logical choice. 

I posed a question on Facebook what color gray I should go with, and many kind readers responded, thank you!  I reasoned it was best to grab those two samples I was considering, and maybe a couple more at my local Benjamin Moore.

Choosing the perfect gray is very challenging – there are so many ways gray can lean based on the formula: lavender, green, blue, or taupe, one must be careful! 

As always, you can’t tell much from a paint deck swatch, you need a real sample viewed in proper light so I picked up four samples from my local BM, and painted big swatches on a poster board to study which would be the best choice.   

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Good day to you on this lovely Sunday!  It’s here again, the roundup you’ve all been waiting for!  Amanda and I scoured the blogosphere this week to yet again bring you our favorite and most inspiring picks.  We hope you enjoy them, let’s get started:

Myra mixed great color and both vintage and modern fabrics in her breakfast room retreat.  Don’t miss the big reveal at The Casabella Project.

Craving an uncluttered look in your home without going minimalist and cold? Employ this one essential trick recommended by Small Notebook.

Are you a lover of abstract art and have considered your own DIY version?  Hop on over to Oh Happy Day for the step by step on how to make your own affordable abstract artwork with stunning results.

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Hello friends, I can’t believe it’s August already, and the kids are soon back to school. I’ll be spending the weekend and much of next week adventuring with the kiddos and savoring what’s left of summer.

I’ve been writing more in my Motherhood Journal lately after spending many months ignoring it.  I wish I hadn’t done that, they change so much so quickly, and for me it’s important to record not only their changes but also my reflections too.

Do you journal?  In this digital world, there’s something so nice about the written word in one’s own handwriting and a place to store ideas and thoughts.  This weekend five winners can pick a journal from the collection over at Gadanke – an online store for handmade journals made from recycled papers.  Whether it’s for travel, for prayer, or for just the little things, it is important to record your thoughts, because your story matters.

These are a lovely gift for you or a friend, and if you’re one of the lucky five, you can choose from any of the journal products at Gadanke.

Eligibility to win one of five free journals from Gadanke:

1) Hop on over to the Gadanke shop and look around.  Pick your favorite and name it in a comment.

2) Spread the word on Twitter or Facebook with a link to this giveaway for extra entries.

Five winners chosen at random, free shipping too.  Giveaway ends Sunday August 7th at 8 p.m. PST.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.  The five winners are:  #2 Mollie B; #99 Emily; #111 Aleigh S; #205 Katrina Garcia; and #296 Jordan G.  All of you received an email to make your selection! 

The winners of the Attiser Linens Giveaway are #407 Shira at Little Green Box and #1,093 Sara Lease.  Congratulations ladies, I’ll be in touch later today!

And thanks to so many of you for your suggestions on what color to paint my front door, I’m off to pick up some samples at my local paint store, I hope to have a new color up by this weekend!

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No doubt some of you frequent visitors have noticed the site changes I made in the last few days, and with a little help from some friends.  Thanks to so many of you for the kind comments! 

I started the new look with a brand new header.  I know, I’m fickle, switching up my headers every now and then, but I was over the old font and craving something new!  You know I love blues and greens, enter this lovely header designed by the marvelous Kelly at Fabulous K Creative.  She is wonderful to work with and has amazing skills, so if you’re looking for a new blog design, tell Kelly I sent you! 

You’ll find some new buttons in the upper sidebar, the icons also designed by Fabulous K.  It’s the new tabbed Welcome/Subscribe/Connect/Category zone formatted by my site designer AR Creative.  There’s my Pinterest profile link for those of you hooked like me on this virtual inspiration storage site. 

I tweaked the navigation bar too, you can see the Project Gallery is still there, but hey guess what?  It’s been completely reorganized by category, here’s a peek:

Now you’ll see images in the table of contents to make it easier for you to browse the archives. 

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