Les Fleurs

I ran into these pictures at a great blog I just discovered called Me, Myself & I. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! She and I have a huge commonality of loving flowers. Here are some brilliant displays of flowers to chase the winter blues away...just breathtaking!

Lucky Me!

Yesterday I was excited to get my blog swap package! Yay!

The blog swap was "Let's Get Organized" hosted by Stephmodo. I love to organize and was so elated to put a box together for someone special in Oregon. Getting something in return was just a bonus, a fabulous bonus at that! Here is what I got!

• a great basket (where I have too many ideas of what to do with it right now)
• a gorgeous Wedgewood jewelry box (I think she went over the $ limit with this alone)
• a chocolate brown journal ( I've already written in it)
• jewel tone box set (Who doesn't love IKEA?)
• two pot holders (I asked for some for Christmas and did not get any, how'd she know?)
• a matching apron (perfect for ALL the bakers in my house)

Thank you Arya! I am soooo lucky. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine!

The passing of a loved one

In honor of a loving man of God.Our beloved prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away peacefully yesterday.

He will be greatly missed.

tween room #4

I found this chair at a second hand store. It was cute, but now it is cuter!

It's almost done!

My old dressing table, all jazzed up!

The blinds will come down. I have something big planned...stay tuned.

The shelves are in, the glass piece has been ordered for the center desk.

What I learned from these projects:

• These bookshelves were never intended to be painted, no matter how much you sand and prime.
• When there is a will, there is a way!
• I can actually miter corners.
• My children use their imaginations when I am immersed in projects.
• This room makeover definately bonded my E. and I!
  

A little Girlie

Check out these adorable little girl clips! Each is so brilliantly handmade. And they DO NOT fall out. I love them so much, I am tempted to wear one myself. Click here for more info.

free shipping until Freb. 29th! Woohoo!

Oh Me, Oh My!

Just a quick post to let you in on a few excitements...first...if you have not read "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer you are REALLY missing out. I have read the first two books in a matter of days! All of my friends read them about two years ago and I sat back and resisted, like I mostly do. Now I am trying to talk to anyone and everyone about the books! Holy Cow! And let me tell you... do not let the subject matter sway you. That is all I am going to say because I just want EVERYONE to read these books!!!!

Second, I have a new "do". I have been lookin' since the "Victoria Beckham" is everywhere. I now have the new "Katie Holmes" do, the one parted in the middle with bangs. I love it!

Third, I finished shopping for my first blog swap ever! It was an organization swap and I am so excited to ship it off to my partner! Thanks to Stephmodo for hosting! Yay!

tween room #3

E. is lucky to have french doors in her bedroom, but the morning sunlight is enough to blind us all. Five years ago, when we moved in, I quickly bought blue "black out" tab top curtains that she could pull open and closed. I hated the blue, so I took adorable toile and put the toile on the back (making it the front). Well, now that we are redoing her room, I couldn't bare to get rid of the sweet toile, so once again, I flipped the curtains over and covered the original blue keeping the toile for the back now.

I found the perfect cabana stripe fabric here for just $7.99 a yard. With some scrap polka dot fabric and some 75% off pink trim, voila!

Not to rush her out, but I can't wait for this to be my craft/sewing room some day!

tween room #2

I have spent four days out in the garage. We knew we wanted a wall unit for E.'s room, but did not want to spend the thousands of dollars it would cost. Weeks from ten years old, she is a little pack rat so storage was a must. Also, a workspace for homework was needed.

I found cheap bookshelves at Big Lots for $29.99 each, you know the kind. With being six feet tall and offering five shelves I knew I could do something with them. I picked up two. Putting them together was a bugger!

Adding decorative moulding all by myself. I even mitered the corners on my own. Yay me!

All trimmed out and ready to prime and paint. They will be black. Between the two bookshelves will be a thick piece of glass that will serve as her desk. I am on the hunt for the perfect antique chair to add.

Below is a picture of my own dressing table as a teen. I have sanded it and it is also ready to be primed and painted black. This will be next to her bed.

Chandeliers

Some have been asking to post the chandeliers I have made. These are a handful, sadly there are a few more that I do not have pictures for. These have been over the course of five years and my style has evolved. Some embellishments were special requests from the purchaser. Hope you are inspired.

Brighter Days

Click on the pictures to view bigger if you'd like.

It has been a few days since we have seen the sun here in Northern California. As I look out my window and see fog to the ground I remember a spring day when my backyard was at it's best. This was a bridal shower and a dream come true for me. When I designed our yard I had a garden party such as this in mind. I think back to the blushing bride, the variety of pink roses and the delicious food. Memories like this make the dreary days a little brighter...

...the sun will come again.

Japan Update

I have not discussed the possibility of going to Japan again since my first cry for help. It is because I needed time to process all of the wonderful comments, advice and encouragement everyone has given me. Funny thing is EVERYONE (except two friends) gave me 100% encouragement. Two honest gals said, "I couldn't do it" and "think long and hard, is your marriage strong enough?" Thank you ALL for your honesty!!!!!!

It has been an emotional rollercoaster for me, but about two weeks ago I felt strongly "do not worry, it will not happen anyway". Hubby definately DID NOT have that same feeling. So it became the whole "is this inspiration or is it wishful thinking?" We were planning a trip to the temple today, to be closer to the Spirit, and try to know Heavenly Father's will. Last night Hubby came home and said, "we are NOT going to Japan any time this year or even early 2009". He then walked away, not because he was mad, but because I had a friend over and we were watching a movie and he did not want to interrupt (very thoughtful).

I hit PAUSE and said, "you can't just leave me hanging like that!" It turns out...a partner in his firm (he is a CPA) really was the frontrunner of us going to Japan. She is also in charge of all the secondments from their office. Well, someone higher than her told her it is not the time for Hubby to go and said to put it on hold for at least a year! BIG RELIEF!

now i can keep my perfect job

There it is! He and I will still go in April, but now I can go without all the pressure of knowing we would be living there four short months later. I am really, really happy! I would have gone and been okay and probably loved it...but for now I am happy right where I am!

Thanks for listening to my drama!

I promise my "creative" posts will be back soon...I have been working on some BIG projects.

Blog Picture Banner Info

A few of you have asked how I made my new banner. A couple things to say about it before I give you the info. I coveted all the individualized blogs and wanted to make my own and know that if I took a picture of what I wanted it would be easy for me. So I went around photographing little "diorama" vignettes and trying to get the size right...waste of time! Second, I want to thank you for loving it as much as I do. I had taken this picture in Montmartre and new I would use it for something special in the future. OK, here it goes...

1. Find the perfect picture (if it is a hard copy you will need to scan it in).


2. Make a copy of your picture because any alterations you do will change the original image.


3. My operating system is Windows Microsoft/Vista. Most basic photo software has this capability, we probably just didn't know it was there. You may need to look through your programs a bit.


4. After clicking on the picture, look for a pencil or a paintbrush on your toolbar or I had to hit open and the word "paint" came up.


5. Once you are in the paint section, the possibilities are endless. If you hit the "A" (text) it will let you type in using font - like in my banner-for "not my dress" I used the spray paint icon and for "just a peak" I used the pencil icon.


6. Once you are happy with your creation, save it and remember where you save it to.


7. Now go onto your "dashboard" into layout. If you click edit on "header" you will see you can either get a photo from your computer or the internet.
8. Grab your photo and hit "instead of header" and it should work for you. Easy schmeezy!

Just experiment and have fun! I hope it works for you like it did me!

Just a peak

You will not be seeing the whole thing until I actually wear it, live and learn...

...I must have a pretty easy life if a dress debacle is the biggest news in my life!

I am very grateful!

Just 3 words...

IT DIDN'T FIT!

It is very sad...the second size did not fit. It just is not meant to be. I am only out $25 but now have to go find something to wear. Thanks to all of my friends who thought I would look beautiful in that gorgeous frock! :( Not to float my own boat but this new size was generous in every spot except for my rib cage, that is where it did not fit. Isn't that supposed to be our slimmest point of our body.???I told the nice lady at Shabby Apple that this dress is cut too narrow! it makes me feel better to blame the designer

Thank you to my "fairy godneighbor"! I have the best friend that happens to live across the street. She is always letting me dash over in a tizzy and she always says the right thing. I really challenged her today as she came up with so many solutions to my situation (many included embellishments). All I could do was pout and say, "i'm just sending them back". Stay tuned to see what I really end up wearing...hubby said, "Just wear what you wore last year." HA!

my journal of the year

I have completed my *2007* book. Some ask me why I do not use my blog as a journal, like many great blogs I read. Well...it is because my heart belongs to scrapbooking. Now with the great Shutterfly site I digitally create a "year" book where each book has pictures and a little journaling about the month. I spend about 15 minutes a month and by the end of they year I have a great record, all bound like your favorite book. Thanks to a great friend who gave me a Shutterfly gift certificate for Christmas!

For *2008* I am so excited that they have a Martha Stewart layout. If you love the Martha Stewart line from Michael's, the entire book is made up of the same patterns, colors and elements. So beautiful!

it is a wonderful thing to do something you love, while the kids are asleep and there is no cleaning up afterward!

My 1,000th hit!

Hooray! I have made it to 1,000!

Thanks to all of my friends in blogville who visit me each day.

You all inspire me to be more creative and a good friend!

"I hit 1,000...I hit 1,000...I hit 1,000"

I am doing a little dance and singing that...

Thought this was the PERFECT occasion to post the world's worst picture of myself! Why waste time looking for the perfect picture when all of the bad ones get left out? Enjoy!

New Years Renewals

There is much talk of resolutions and goals this time of year. Some say, "if I don't make them I won't break them". Others say,"I try to better myself all year long, not just at the beginning of the year". Well I belong to the school of thought, "set some goals, try hard to achieve them and modify when needed". So here are a few of my renewals. If you'd like to offer a bit of advice I would love to hear it!!!!!

• Be a "happier" mom; having more fun with my kids and talking to them in a sweeter tone.


• Not take things personally when it comes to hubby. I rarely ever take things personally from other women (which is somewhat unique) but I overcompensate when it comes to my marriage.


• Attend the temple monthly, if not more.


• Stylize my blog! I know it may sound silly, and this is where I need your help! I love everyone's individualistic banners and backgrounds, but for the life of me cannot figure out how to do it. If you can offer me any help, please respond. Thank you so very much!

Of course I always want to be the best person I can be (physically, spiritually and emotionally) and have some fun along the way. What are your thoughts for the New Year?

The city by the bay...

Yesterday we were really lucky to join some friends in "the city" to celebrate a special boys' fifth birthday. We had so much fun taking BART, going to Pier 39 and the aquarium and of course eating! We had lunch at Boudin with sourdough bread bowls and clam chowder, then walked to Ghiradelli for ice cream (never too cold for Ghiradelli chocolate on ice cream!)

Which brings me to another matter!!!! This Saturday is hubby's "Winter Ball" at the W Hotel in San Francisco. It is quite a swanky event. Of course I put off trying to find a dress. I found this dress late Saturday night here.

So, I ordered it and paid for expedited shipping and it arrived today. Soooo sadly it did not fit!Hmmm, too much chocolate? Not enough gym??? But the really nice lady sent me out a new one, keep your fingers crossed that the new one will get here in time! Oh, and that it fits this time. So excited to go to the Ball...

Like mother, like daughter (but she is better!)

That tongue thing is completely inherited by my mom, then me, now her...

E got the William's Sonoma cookbook from Grandma. Yesterday she made a cake, all by herself, from SCRATCH! Okay, I may bake but I have NEVER made a cake and frosting all from scratch. She was so proud of herself and I was very proud too!

A great way to ring in 2008!

Well we certainly had a relaxing trip to Southern California! We were visiting my hubby's family. While the kids were playing with many new toys and hubby was bonding with his father watching The History Channel, I snuck into my in-laws movie cabinet and picked out four of my favorites. I watched all four movies, in a row, while laying in bed in the guestroom. Ahhhhhh! Now that is what I call heaven!

As if I didn't lay around enough watching movies, I also read this cute book in just two days. The first one, A Girl Like Moi, was fun also. I totally recommend them both. Click here for Lisa Barham's website.