Make a Beach or Seaside Table Decoration: A Tutorial

Yesterday, we went spring shopping in some of my fave haunts in THIS post.  On our shopping trip, we spied these cuties at Big Lots.  I could so see these in a summertime tablescape.  Actually, they would look great almost anywhere.  Imagine three lined up across a kitchen window sill with the sun lighting them up from behind.  Add them to a pretty spring/summer vignette on an entry table.  Or, tuck some flowers down inside each bottle and decorate an outdoor patio table for an evening dinner.

They were $6 each which wasn't terrible, but I knew I already had everything I needed at home to make my own.

Here are the supplies I used.  Ignore the Mod Podge and the bowl/paintbrush.  I ended up using a hot glue gun instead...more on that in a sec.   For this little project you'll need: a pretty wine or water bottle, scissors, glue gun, drill with a tiny bit, some small seashells or starfish, narrow jute or rope, raffia, and nylon thread or fishing line.

I stole a few blue bottles off the bottle tree you see outside on the deck in this previous SPRINGTIME table setting post.  (You can read more about bottle trees, HERE and see the one on the deck in  THIS post.)

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Shopping My Favorite Haunts for Spring

I've had a blast checking out the "Before and Afters" linked for yesterday's Met Monday!  Be sure to scroll on down and check them all out if you have a few minutes.

Yesterday I did some drive-by shopping...you know, the kind where you're really out on another errand but your car just sort of steers ya by some of your fave stores.  It's that time of year when the seasons are changing and holidays are coming at us left and right.  We just finished Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us and Easter is right behind.  So I had to see what was shaking in some of my favorite haunts.

First stop...Tuesday Morning.  Check out all the adorable bunnies they have in!  (All pics in the stores were taken with my camera phone.  Click on any pic to enlarge then hit the back arrow to return to the post.)  That bunny on the left looks like he saying, "Take me, take me!"

Don't those guys above remind you of these much more expensive versions below from a store with the initials P.B.  I'm just sayin'.

Source

More bunnies at Tuesday Morning.  Love the lidded dish with the resting bunny.    Wouldn't it be cute on a table as a serving piece.  I didn't buy anything but these pics are making me want to go back.

The last of the bunnies from Tuesday Morning.  I didn't jot down prices but they ranged from around $10 to 20, depending on the size of the bunny.

Next I headed over to Old Time Pottery.  I keep eyeing these fun, wavy dishes.  They are only $3.99 per dinner plate.  The salad size was even less.

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A Breathtaking Before and After: Welcome to the 162nd Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

For this Metamorphosis Monday, I have an outdoor "Before and After."  Cornelia, who lives in Switzerland and sometimes shares a lovely tablescape for Tablescape Thursday, recently shared some amazing photos with me.  They are of the mountain cabin she and her husband own in Switzerland.  Cornelia told me during the summer the cabin can be reached by car, but during the winter, the only way you can reach it is by skiing in.  Fortunately, it's located on the slopes so it's easy to reach even in winter.

Cornelia said, "We have a very cold period at the moment – 17.1 Fahrenheit. We went skiing in the Canton of Grison and had a meeting with our architect because we plan to reconstruct our Mountain Cabin. We had to wait for more than half a year to get the building permit. When we got it it was to late to start with the building due to the snow. The cabin is in the middle of the slopes and you can reach it by car only when there is no snow. Otherwise you get there by ski! It is in the middle of the slopes and you get there very easily."

Here's a view of Cornelia's mountain cabin in spring/summer.  I asked Cornelia about the roof...isn't it interesting!  She said it's made of tin and that the roofs are always made of tin or slate to stand up to the heavy snows.  The views...they are nothing short of amazing!

Cornelia said, "We are not allowed to tear it down because the cabin is not in a building zone. We have been given the permission to remold it and to add an annex. We will keep the frontage but inside we will build new rooms and a new ceiling.

The cabin dates back to 1835.  It was used during the summer as a stable in the basement where the farmer kept his cows or goats and had a small kitchen where he made cheese and slept. They used the upper floor to store hay.

We plan to use as much of the antique wood as we can. But there will be a complete new interior including a kitchen in the new annex, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, a family room and two utility rooms in the basement.  As soon as the snow melts we are starting the construction work."

This is the view from the cabin.  Absolutely gorgeous!  Hopefully Cornelia will take lots of pics during the renovation and will share those with us.  :)

Cornelia shared this pic and said, "The cows just came down for the Winter. They stay up in
the alps all summer long."  When I saw this picture below, I instantly thought of the book, Heidi!  Doesn't it remind you of the illustrations in that wonderful book?

Now, ready for the metamorphosis?  Wait until you see how this same area looks right now during wintertime!
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Garden & Gun Asks Rachel Ashwell

I used to subscribe to Garden & Gun magazine.  I need to renew my subscription because I really miss it.  Fortunately, I'm still on their mailing list and from time to time I receive e-mails with links to some interesting articles.

February's issue of Garden & Gun featured a tour of Rachel Ashwell's Texas home and included an interview with the designer and founder of the brand we know as "Shabby Chic."

Photo of Rachel Ashwell's Texas home (from Garden & Gun online)

Have you ever visited one of her stores?  Her style is beautifully romantic, nostalgic and feminine.  You can read more about Rachel at her blog appropriately titled,  Rachel's Blog.

Included in the recent e-mail I received from Garden & Gun was a fun Q & A with Rachel.  As I read her answers, I found myself wondering how I'd answer those same questions.

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14 Free Photo Editing Sites, Picnik Alternatives

Recently, after learning Picnik was going away or moving to Google+ in mid-April, I went in search of some alternative photo editing sites.

I posted the results of my search  in a previous post, and as I have continued to find additional programs, I've been adding them to that original list.

The list has grown now from 8 to 14 photo editing sites, so today I'm posting the original 8 with my most recent finds added to the end of the list.  If you read that original post and would like to check out a few more alternatives, just skip on down to numbers 9-14 for the latest additions.  (In the comments on this post, Laurie says #13 (iPiccy) is just like Picnik.  I haven't tried it yet, but that sounds promising!)  Update:  PicMonkey is up and running and someone emailed me to tell me it's great...much like Picnik.

I've used Picnik occasionally over the years and had just started playing around with it more recently for the purpose of watermarking photos.  Fortunately, I found another program I like better for watermarking a few weeks ago.  You can read all about the two programs I use for watermarking in THIS post.

Pssst:  The 3 winners of the recent giveaway from Fish Foam have been announced on the Giveaway post.

1. Fotoflexer:

You can do some fun, crazy things with Fotoflexer including retouching photos, adding special effects, fun fonts, layers, etc...  One neat thing...it will link to your photos wherever you have them stored.  You can edit photos from Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, Photobucket or upload them from your website or computer.


2. Picasa:

Picasa lets you share your pics directly with the folks in your circles in Google +.  There are also a lot of "effects" you can apply to photos. This is the program I currently use to create collages.


3. Pixlr:

I dove right into Pixlr and started playing around with their effects.  I found it easy to use.  Of course, you can do the usual stuff...sharpen, crop, adjust contrast and color.  There's even a "teeth white" feature. lol  Don't we wish life was that way. ;)


4. Phixr:

I've found Phixr also very easy to use.  You can adjust the usual things that photo editing software allows.  Some fun things: you can add speech bubbles to your pics of your pets, decorate with objects, like hearts...that could come in handy for Valentine's Day.
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Springtime Table With a Daffodil Centerpiece: Welcome to the 182nd Tablescape Thursday!

It was another warm day today so the pull of the porch won out again.

All this warm weather we're having has me thinking spring.  This table setting would work well as an Easter tablescape with its springtime colors.

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Porches for Sleeping

From time to time I visit a section of the Atlanta Journal & Constitution called "Private Quarters."  They highlight homes of all types and give mini tours.  Recently this home was featured.  You can see the full tour HERE.  My favorite "room" shown in the tour was the porch.  I know that comes as no surprise since I have a thing for porches.

This little piece of heaven especially caught my eye.  Imagine sleeping away a warm southern night in this spot, lulled to sleep by the sounds of the crickets, cicadas and frogs.  It would be a regular symphony of natures best musicians.  Candlelight would be provided by lightning bugs.  What a wonderful way to end a day.
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Get Ready for Spring, It's Almost Here!

Once a month I have the pleasure of sharing the wonderful Sponsors who make BNOTP possible.   You'll find great ideas for spring sprucing as well as products and ideas to help with your spring cleaning.  At the end of the day, you'll want a great book for some relaxing reading.  You'll find it all here!

Thanks so much for visiting and supporting these awesome Sponsors!

Click any picture or text link to see more.  Happy Spring Dreaming!

♦Old Time Pottery:   Check out the Spring Sale going on until February 26th!  Love all the colorful planters they have in!

♦Santos Cage Doll.com:   Santos dolls, beautiful hearts, heart charms and delicate, jewel-studded crowns are just some of the lovelies you'll find on your visit to Santos Cage Doll.com.

♦Chic Provence Design Tour:  Have you ever wanted to travel to the south of France?  Yup, me too!  Take the trip with a seasoned guide; Kit knows all the best places to tour and shop!

♦The Charmed Life:   I spied some adorable J. Willfred Bunny Toile china in a green and white toile pattern.  So perfect for Easter!  Love!



♦Suzy's Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom:   Suzy has an interview up on her blog today with Johnnie from Saved by Love Creations.  While you're there, check out Suzy's Etsy shop.

♦Elvie's Essentials:  Elvie will show you how to tackle the toughest cleaning jobs around your home.  Declutter and get organized...Elvie will show you how!

♦Fish Foam:   Welcome spring with shiny, clean windows.  You'll find many uses for this product.  Get a $3 discount on shipping when ordering a 3 pack of Fish Foam.

♦European Vintage:  Beautiful European treasures from European Vintage.  Look for new stock coming in soon.



♦Noritake:   Check out all the beautiful spring patterns available at Noritake.  My favorites for spring are Lacewood Gold in Pink and Blue Sorrentino.   Beautiful!  As always, BNOTP readers get 10% off any purchase by entering BNOTP10 at checkout!

♦A Teeny Bit of Trouble:  Pre-orders are being taken now for A Teeny Bit of Trouble, the hilarious follow-up to Gone with a Handsomer Man.  Release date is April 10, 2012!

♦French Bleu Vintage:  The inventory at French Bleu Vintage is always changing with new items arriving daily.  It's like shopping your favorite antique store without ever having to leave your home!

♦European Tableware:  Warning:  You're entering serious drool territory!  So many gorgeous items for your Spring and Easter table settings!

Getting Organized: Label It!

I've been busy the last few days organizing and cleaning out some of the closets around my home.  I've finally corralled most of my holiday centerpieces into one closet where I can find them when I need them.  I do so love having everything neatly organized.  It's such a great feeling when you can immediately put your hand on something you need, when you need it.

Speaking of closets, Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick is having a Closet Party.  I've linked my "Coat Closet Becomes a China Closet" post.  If you've been wondering where I store some of the dishes I use for tablescaping, check out that  post.  It was a DIY weekend project involving painting and power saws...and some how I still have all my fingers! ;)

Recently, I posted about 20 Things I Can't Live Without.  Thanks so much for all your amazing ideas and suggestions left in the comments!  I've already started trying some of the things you mentioned, including the perfume, Amazing Grace.  Oh my gosh, does it smell wonderful!  I put it on every day whether I'm staying home or going out.  It just puts me in the best mood!

After I created my "20 Things" post, Pam e-mailed to share something she couldn't live without in her home: a Brother Label Maker.  I had a feeling her label maker was just a wee bit more sophisticated than the Dynamo label maker I had back in high school.

Photo from Wikipedia

Do you remember these?  They used the colorful, sticky embossing tape.  I had the best time labeling all kinds of stuff back then.  It's a wonder my cat didn't end up with a label!  I remember kids would even bring them to school.  Did you have a Dynamo label maker?

Photo from Wikipedia

Here's the label maker Pam uses.  Pam said, "The label maker photo shows its two essential features: a drop-in cartridge to easily switch between tape sizes with no wasted tape, and the USB cord that connects to the computer.  Of course, this handy gadget created a label for its own storage box!  Notice the fun font I used for that label. I love being able to use any font on my computer."

I asked Pam how she uses her label maker so she snapped a few pics to share.  Pam also shared some information about how she prints her labels out to avoid wasting any of the label tape.
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Inspiration Around Blogland: Welcome to the 161st Metamorphosis Monday!

Greetings!  How was your weekend?  I hope it was fantabulous!  I spent a good part of mine in the Atlanta IKEA repeatedly talking myself into and out of an Expedit shelving unit for my office closet.

Image from HERE

For months now I've been hoping to squeeze an Expedit into that closet for storage, but the unit itself is only about 1/2 inch (if that much) smaller in width than the closet itself.  It's such a tight fit, I'll have to remove the baseboards to get it in there.

Prior to heading to IKEA, I created a fake shelf out of foam board to represent the width of the Expedit and attempted fitting it into the closet.
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Photography Tips for Better Blog Photos

One of these days I'm going to write a post and title it: The 10 Things I Wish I Had Known When I First Began Blogging."  If I ever write that post, "master the manual setting on your camera" will be at the very top of the list.   In fact, it will probably be #1 on that list.  As proof, let me give you exhibit A, this picture of my guest room below.

Not only did I share this photo of my guest room, along with other dark photos of this room, they are THE pictures you'll find if you tour this room under the category Home Tours/My Nest/Guest Room.  Sad.  I'll try to be kind to the Susan of three years ago, but {palm slapped to forehead} what was she thinking?!

When I took that photo above, I actually thought that was a good photo.   Hard to believe, isn't it?

I now know the reason the photo came out this way in the auto setting was:  1. The camera saw all that light pouring in through the windows and created a greatly underexposed picture. 2. Light bulbs give off yellow light and the lack of cyan/blue makes a lot of indoor shots appear yellowish.

Here's how this room REALLY looks in real life.  It's not the dark dungeon previously portrayed, but you would never know that from that first pic.  I can't go back and redo three years worth of photos but I can promise you from here forward, things will look much more realistic and less "dungeony."

How can you improve your blog photos?

In addition to not settling for sub-par photos like I did for so many years, there are some other things you can do to improve your photos.
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Valentine's Day Table Setting: Welcome to the 181st Tablescape Thursday!

It was another gorgeous day here...is this really February?  Since the temps reached 67 degrees today, I headed for the porch for this Tablescape Thursday.

Before we get started, the winner of the shopping spree at French Bleu Vintage has been announced on the Giveaway post, HERE.  Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway.

I know Valentine's Day is behind us now, but I had to squeeze in one more Valentine's Day table setting before we say good-bye to that holiday for another year.  I had envisioned this tablescape with red roses in the centerpiece, but unfortunately all the ones I found today were still closed up tight...not quite what I had in mind.
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My Secret Weapon for Clean Shiny Windows & a Giveaway!

02-24-12 Update:  Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway.  The funniest thing happened when I ran the InLinkz Random Number Generator.  One of the folks it selected was someone who works with Fish Foam who had left a helpful comment. :)  Ooops!

 So instead of rerunning the generator from scratch for all three winners, which would have made the other two winner names disappear, I just reran the generator asking it to select one more winner.

So, the three (3) winners, chosen by InLinkz Random Number Generator, are: Jodi, Sally and Erin!  Congrats guys! E-mail me at betweennapsontheporchatgmaildotcom with your addresses and I'll forward those on to Fish Foam who will gladly get your product out and on its way to you.

Window cleaning is not real high on my list of favorite things to do.  I'm guessing it may not be too high on yours either.  How is it that windows get so dirty anyway?  I know how they get dirty outside where rain, pollen and other outside elements abound, but what about on the inside?  It's kind of a mystery.

Recently, the good folks at Fish Foam, a Sponsor with BNOTP and experts in the science of window cleaning, offered to send some of their window cleaner so I could try it here in my home.

I thought I'd give it a try here in the dining room.  The windows didn't look that terribly dirty, but it had been a while since they were last cleaned.  Now that I think about it, I can't remember when they were last cleaned.  Yikes.  As you can see, it was an overcast day out.
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Eye Candy for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  Did you get a chance to visit the wonderful Before and Afters posted for yesterday's Met Monday?  I was once again blown away by all the wonderful talent and creativity in Blogland!

I started to name today's post, "Hijacked" because this post started out with one topic and it kind of morphed into something else.  You'll see what I mean in a sec.

If you've been reading BNOTP for a while, you probably remember this little feather tree.  I found it one Christmas for 50% off at Michael's and placed it here in the guest room.

This past Christmas I decided to use it in the upstairs family room, instead.  I know you can't tell, but it's decorated with clear, etched glass orbs, crystal-like garland and a crystal/beaded snowflake on top.   Well, the squeaky wheels started turning and I thought, hey, wouldn't a feather tree be cute decorated for Valentine's Day?  Hold that thought.
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Decorating for Valentine's Day: Welcome to the 160th Metamorphosis Monday!

Valentine's Day is tomorrow.  I love that holiday.  How can you not love a day that's all about chocolate, romance and ♥ LOVE! ♥

It makes me smile when I remember bringing Valentine's Day cards to school.   If I close my eyes, I can still see all the colorful construction-paper folders we made and decorated.  They were strung along the wall where they patiently waited to be filled with sweet valentines.

When February 14th arrived, the classroom became a little bee's nest as we scurried around carefully placing the tiny envelopes in the correct folders.  Do you remember the night before, reading the valentines and carefully choosing just the right valentine card for each friend, especially if that friend was your classroom crush?

Oh, the excitement of opening the valentines the next day!  I always wondered what those little envelopes would hold.  Would it be candy, a message from a "secret admirer" or just a friendly valentine?  Maybe it was all those Nancy Drew books I was reading.  Whatever it was, I loved and still love the mystery and intrigue of this special day.

This Valentine's Day, my crush is you.  Will you be my Valentine?  ♥  Check: Yes √ or  No √.  ;)

The guest bedroom received a little Valentine's Day decorating.
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How to Make Music-Covered Hearts for Valentine's Day: A Tutorial

Yesterday for our Tablescape Thursday, I shared a Valentine's Day table setting with a sweet, romantic easy-to-make centerpiece.  I had been plotting thinking for some time about creating a willowy little "tree" with the River Birch branches I'm always picking up from my front yard.  

I decided to decorate my little birch tree with hearts so I checked several places online.  During my search I came across some cute, papier-machéd, music covered hearts and I loved the look, but not so much the price, especially since  I knew I would need a good many to fill my tree.    

So, I began thinking about how I could make hearts similar to those I had seen online.  I really didn't want to  papier-maché the hearts so I decided to shop the discount stores for inexpensive, small hearts for decoupaging.  I'm still sort of new to this decoupaging thing, having just tried it out for the first time back around Halloween when I decoupaged a couple of pumpkins in THIS post and THIS post.  But I figured, if you can decoupage pumpkins, why not little hearts.

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Valentine's Day Table Setting: Welcome to the 180th Tablescape Thursday!

Valentine's Day is just a few days away.   Did you forward your Valentine's Day cards to the Valentine, Texas Post Master to have them postmarked with their famous stamp?  Such a cute idea!

We've been having spring-like weather for weeks here in Georgia.  Even the daffodils are in full bloom.  The porch was calling, begging me to come out and play.   Just look at all that glorious sunshine!
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Yummy Iced Coffee Recipe

I'm not a big coffee drinker, which is too bad now that I think about it.  It sure would have come in handy back in my college days when I had to occasionally pull an all-nighter to finish writing a paper.

On the somewhat rare occasion when I do drink coffee, it's always iced coffee.  Actually, when I make iced coffee, it's end up being more like a milkshake that happens to be coffee flavored.  I adore milk and can easily go through a gallon a week.  So when I make iced coffee, I add LOTS of milk or cream.

A few months ago I stopped by the blog, The Pioneer Woman.  While there, I stumbled across a recipe for iced coffee.  The title of the post, Perfect Iced Coffee, caught my eye.  Ree found the recipe in Imbibe magazine and she shared it on her blog.  She also likes her coffee with lots of cream, even using condensed milk on occasion, so the pictures looked insanely yummy.

The recipe makes a large batch and lasts a long time in the fridge.  It's almost like a concentrate, so when you're ready for a glass of iced coffee, you just fill up your glass with ice, add the coffee and some cream/sugar and you're good to go.  This method is so much better than the way I've prepared it in the past where the coffee always ended up melting the ice and watering down the coffee.

Since this concoction lasts for several weeks when kept in the fridge, I decided to give it a try.  My favorite way to dose it up is with the flavored creamers.  Coffee Mate's Peppermint Mocha and their Pumpkin Spice are two of my faves.  I haven't tried my coffee with condensed milk as Ree suggests, but I bet that would be amazing, too...probably like dessert.

Ree mentions in her post, this recipe appeared originally in Imbibe Magazine.

Here's the super easy recipe for making this fab iced coffee.  You're not gonna believe how it's done.   Oh, when I make this, I usually only make half the recipe.  That lasts me at least 2-3 weeks.  If you're a big iced coffee fan and drink it every day, you may wish to make the full recipe.
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French Bleu Vintage: Two Giveaways and Delightful Valentine's Day Sale

02-15-12 Update:  Thanks so much to everyone who entered the giveaway for French Bleu Vintage.  The winner, chosen by InLinkz Random Number Generator is:  Betty at My Cozy Corner.  Congrats Betty!

Hi Everyone...hope your week is going great!  I've had so much fun checking out the fabulous Before and Afters linked for yesterday's Met Monday!

French Bleu Vintage: Facebook Challenge, Valentine's Day Sale and a $50 Shopping Spree!

I'm excited to share a fabulous Giveaway from French Bleu Vintage!  Actually there are two giveaways going on...the one here at BNOTP and a separate one at French Bleu Vintage on Facebook!

The French Bleu Vintage Facebook Challenge :
Adrienne has set a goal of reaching 1000 FANS by Valentine's Day.   If that happens, French Bleu Vintage will give away 3 items from the French Bleu Vintage shop to 3 lucky Facebook Fans.  Let's help her reach her goal!


To enter, just stop by and "Like"  French Bleu Vintage on Facebook, HERE.   Adrienne will randomly select the 3 winners from all French Bleu Vintage Facebook Fans...current fans and those who join by Valentine's Day.   

Pink and White Sale!
French Bleu also has a delightful sale going on this week for Valentine's Day.  If it's Pink or White, it's 20% off!  Love these little heart molds.

So many pretties!  Be sure to enter the code pink20 at checkout for the discount.

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10 Fabulous Before and Afters: Welcome to 159th Metamorphosis Monday!

I was so inspired by the wonderful tutorials, renovations and "Before and Afters" linked up for last week's Metamorphosis Monday, I decided to highlight some of my faves for this Met Monday.

Pssst:  There's a fun little metamorphosis at the end of this post...one I captured with my camera phone in a parking lot recently.  It made me laugh out loud when I saw it.


Inspirational Before and Afters Linked for Last Week's Met Monday:

Turnstyle Vogue Design and Styling had some great tips for a fab book shelf transformation.

Homey Home Design revealed her kitchen renovation and it's bright and beautiful. Here's the Before.  You're going to love the After!

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20+ Products I Can't Live Without And an Impromptu Linky Party

I've been working on this post in my head for months.  Every time I do or use something here in my home that I love or can't do without,  I have thought about this post.  It isn't written to endorse any particular brand, although that's invariably going to happen just because sometimes it's a particular brand that does the job just the way I want it done.  If I really prefer that brand, I'll mention it in this post, otherwise, I'll just use generic terms and not a brand name.  Oh, and all the things I've mentioned (except one) are readily available in most hardware stores or online.

Join In:  Impromptu Linky Party
I want to know what you can't live without in your home!  I added InLinkz to the end of this post so you can link up a post sharing what you can't live without.  This post will be up all weekend, so join in and share your favorite go to products or ideas!

If you don't blog, no problem.  Just leave a comment with your "have-to-have" products/items.  I have my pen and paper ready...I'm going to jot some down to try.  Can't wait to hear!


My List:
So, here's my list...items I use every day in my home that I'd sorely miss if they weren't available:

Floor Protector/Furniture Leg Pads:  Since all the rooms in my home (except two) have hardwood flooring, I use these under pretty much every piece of furniture.  They help protect the floors and they also make it a lot easier to slide furniture around when you need to vacuum underneath or just want to try a chair in a different spot.  They are readily available in most hardware stores.

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Dining in the Conservatory: Welcome to the 179th Tablescape Thursday!

Greetings!  Hope your morning is off to an awesome start.  Last night I took advantage of having Wednesday evening free (now that our tablescape party starts on Thursday morning) and I attended a large Atlanta Blogger Meetup.  This group has been meeting for several years now and I just found out about it.

There were around 70 bloggers in attendance and it was so much fun getting to meet other bloggers in the Atlanta area.  Our speaker was John Saddington with Tentblogger.  John's enthusiasm for blogging is completely infectious and he's an entertaining and knowledgeable speaker.   Most of us had driven through intense traffic and some nasty rain to get to the meetup...totally worth it, though.  I'm looking forward to next month's meeting.  If you live in the Atlanta area and are interested in meeting other bloggers, you'll find more information about the meetups at Atlanta Bloggers.

Tablescape Thursday:
For this Tablescape Thursday, we've been invited to dine in the Conservatory.   Doesn't that sound wonderful?   Hope you have your passport handy because we'll be traveling to Switzerland this evening for dinner in Cornelia's beautiful home.

 


Come on in...Cornelia has everything ready.
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