A Whole Lotta "Tweakin" Goin' On

Buying new dishes made my life crazy - and I haven't even used them yet!

After finishing the dining room, I thought the living room would be a quick job, but it took me 3 days!

I took photos yesterday and thought I was done, but sitting on the sofa last night, I looked around and wasn't satisfied - so it was back to the drawing board this morning.

This table was one of the few arrangements I didn't change today.

The lamp and the painting make it difficult for just any display - I don't want anything too tall in front of the painting and we need a lamp on the table.

All the containers started out on the mantel, but moving them to the cabinet was a vast improvement.

There was a short green cabinet in this nook, but I wanted something taller so I stole the sewing machine base from the guest room.

One of my prized possessions is the vintage sewing notions box from my grandmother - I like how it is showcased on the glass base.

I found the George Washington tin, a relic from my Americana days, hiding in the garage.

The striped box, a Home Goods purchase, is now storing Lulu's toys - who knew a puppy needed so many toys!

The croquet balls in my favorite colors are from my childhood croquet game.

The little green chair was the easiest "tweak" - a metal basket is filled with Trader Joe's mums.

Another 'steal' was the chalkboard caddy from the dining room - it was a pain to move at every meal.

The mantel was the biggest challenge.

I am not ready for a fall mantel so I went with books, but then I had no idea what to put in the center.

I stole the red box from the dining room (so much for that room being finished) and a few bits and pieces from the guest room.

The new dishes I wrote about here caused a chain reaction.

These are just a few of the items that were moved around and still need new homes.

We have company this weekend, so I know what I will be doing tomorrow.

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My Giveaway ends on Sunday - check it out here.

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I am joining these great parties

My Romantic Home - Show and Tell Friday

French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson - Share Your Cup Thursday

Common Ground - Be Inspired

The Thrifty Groove - Thrifty Things Friday

Rooted in Thyme - Simple and Sweet Fridays

Redoux - Link Party

The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home

No Minimalist Here - Open House Blog Party

Creative Chaos

I made an unnecessary visit to TJ Maxx last week ( I love it when they ask if I found what I was looking for - "Actually, I found a lot of things I wasn't looking for!" )  and I could not pass up these  great dishes.

They look innocent - 4 small plates ( small portions look bigger! ) and 4 bowls - yet they created havoc at our house this week.

Nearly every flat surface in the house is covered with broken down vignettes.

The goal was to redo this white shelf in the dining room using the new plates - there is no room in the kitchen cupboards so I definitely did not NEED the dishes.

I searched the house for red, white, and blue pieces for the shelf.

I can't do a vignette without adding my favorite yellow too.

This green and yellow table is on the same wall as the cabinet and I needed to use red and blue on the table to coordinate with the cabinet.

I love that the teapot on the scale brought in all 4 of the colors.

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The dining room table looks much better than it did this morning.

In addition to adding the wooden chalkboard caddy to the table, I stole 2 floral pillows from the guest room.

The dining room is now the only "finished" room in the house.

No room has been left untouched in the chaos created by those simple blue and white dishes.

I am headed to volleyball practice so the rest will have to wait and chaos will reign for at least another day at our house.

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There is still time to sign up for my Giveaway.

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I am joining these lovely ladies

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Cedar Hill Ranch - The Scoop

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson - Share Your Cup Thursday

Green Willow Pond - What We Accomplished Wednesday

Lavender Garden Cottage - Cottage Style Party

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday

Kathe With An E - You're Gonna Love It

Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesday

Burlap Basket

I have been slow to join the "Burlap Bandwagon".

I love all the projects I see, but the neutral color of burlap just doesn't fit with my primary color scheme.

Yesterday, I had no ideas for a new project so I went out to my creative space (sounds so much nicer than garage) and looked around.

For the month of August, I have not allowed myself to buy supplies and have challenged myself to "use what I have".

In April, I purchased this piece of burlap because I love anything with the alphabet and it just sat in a box.

I went to my Pinterest boards for inspiration and came up with these bags- the first bag is called a Flower Girl Basket.

Once I decided on the project, it was relatively easy:

1.  An oval container was used to form the basket

2.  The fabric was wrapped around the container and the edges were pinned

3.  After sewing the seam, a bowl was placed inside to hold the shape

4.  The bottom edges were pinned down

5. The bottom down was sewn down

6.  A liner made from a drop cloth remnant was sewn in when the top edge was hemmed

7.  A rectangle of cardboard makes the bottom stiff

8.  The basket is an outdoor plant container so I simply folded down the lining without finishing it off

9.  A burlap flower from Paper Source was attached with wire after holes were punched with an awl

10.  A cute little paper sticker covered the center of the flower

11.  Realizing that the paper would deteriorate quickly outside, I replaced the paper with a Tim Holtz metal tag

12.  A trip to Home Depot provided flowers

1 hour of my time . . . no money spent . . . a new container for plants.

But, I couldn't stop there - I made a quick little heart banner.

Little hearts cut out with pinking shears and filled with batting, colorful buttons were used to attach the layers and the garden window is refreshened.

I finally snapped a photo of Little Lulu - she is usually full of steam in the garden and too hard to capture.

The inspiration on the the left . . . my rendition on the right.

As I mentioned in this post, 

inspiration gets you started, but ultimately, it is about tailoring projects to who we are and how we live.

If you haven't checked out my Giveaway, click here to enter.

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 I am joining these parties -

The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday

Silver Pennies - Sunday Link Party

Boogieboard Cottage - Masterpiece Monday

Creative Home Expressions - Creative Home and Garden Hop

Fox Hollow Cottage - 10 Terrific Burlap Ideas and Link Party

Dwellings - The Heart of Your Home - Amaze Me Monday

Under the Table and Dreaming - Sunday Showcase and Party

Rain on a Tin Roof - Give Me The Goods

Alderberry Hill - Make the Scene Monday

Passing It On

Life has been a little crazy here with Little Lulu controlling my time.

Thankfully, her new routine is to sit on the window seat with me in the early morning which gives me time to look at blogs and catch up on magazines before her wild antics begin.

I finally had a chance to read the magazines I received in a package from Kris of Junk Chic Cottage

Artful Blogging ran a feature on Kris's wonderful home and decorating style.

I was one of several winners on Kris's  Giveaway - a copy of Artful Blogging

with a copy of Somerset Home thrown in.

Receiving such a sweet gift from Kris made me want to pass on the gesture.

I decided to combine my crochet skills with the time on my hands (housebound with a 10 week old puppy) to create my own Giveaway.

I sewed 4  napkins out of 100% organic cotton and crocheted the edges - each piece has a different edging.

With the left over fabric, I made a little table runner.

The beautiful decor of Junk Chic Cottage and White Lace Cottage were at the back of my mind while I was making the napkins and imagining the napery in a crisp white vignette.

To embellish the table setting, I made simple tags and attached tarnished "Love" hearts.

I also like the look of crisp white napkins in a colorful table setting.

If you would like to win the set of napkins, table runner and 4 simple tags, please leave a comment.

I will throw some other little trinkets into the box -  it will be fun to match the trinkets to the personality and style of the winner.

The Giveaway will end on September 1 - can you believe it is nearly September?

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I am joining these lovely ladies

The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday

Twigg Studio - Sunday Showoff Party

The Tablescaper - Seasonal Sundays

Creative Home Expressions - The Creative Home and Garden Hop

Shabby Art Boutique - Shabbilicious Friday

My Romantic Home - Show and Tell Friday

Silver Pennies - Sunday Link Party

Boogieboard Cottage - Masterpiece Monday

French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday

Dwellings - The Heart of Your Home - Amaze Me Monday

Alderberry Hill - Make the Scene Monday

Rain on a Tin Roof - Give Me The Goods

Etsy Cottage Style - An Entertaining Party

Jennifer Rizzo - Fabulously Creative Friday

From the Farm Blog Hop

3 Quick Projects

Between workmen in our bathroom (not a fun way to spend $$$$) and Little Lulu, I knew today would be spent at home.

 Last night I looked for inspiration for projects that would not take much time and would fit with my August mantra of "use what I have".

This cute little vignette at White Lace Cottage became my first project of the morning.

We eat on small plates for most meals (portion control) and I have lots of different colors of dishes.

We are always rummaging through the cupboard to choose a plate in the morning so this little dish strainer is perfect for holding plates and bowls for our morning fruit and yogurt.

A roll of webbing I found in my parents' garage earlier in the summer

combined with a birdcage frame I found at TJ Maxx months ago became the second quick project.

I simply stapled the webbing to a piece of cardboard and attached the key with wire.

I love the bench beneath the trees in the garden all dressed up with pillows and a banner, but the banner and the pillows are now covered with sap from the trees.

I spent too much time embroidering the banner to see it destroyed so a change in the bench became project #3.

This Moda fabric is a favorite and I only have a skinny strip left, but I was able to cut out hearts for a banner.

I placed batting in between 2 hearts, sewed the hearts together and connected the hearts with ribbon.

I washed and dried the banner so the edges would fray.

A simple basket with a plant is a much more practical choice than the cushion which I can grab from a cupboard if I want to sit and relax - unlikely with Little Lulu!

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I am joining the following parties

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson - Share Your Cup Thursday

Lavender Garden Cottage - Cottage Style Party

Shabby Creek Cottage - Transformation Thursday

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday

Rooted in Thyme - Simple & Sweet Fridays

No Minimalist Here - Open House Party

The Pin Junkie - Friday Link Party

Green Willow Pond - What We Accomplished Wednesday