Why Do You Blog?

All week I've been putting off writing about what Em and I talked about at She Speaks. Our topic was Defining and Refining the purpose of your blog. A topic very near to my heart. But the idea of writing all that stuff out was overwhelming. Luckily, I waited long enough that my little sister wrote about it. Better than I could have. It's two parts:

Part One

Part Two

For me, I don't love to write. But I love what I write about--I've been nesting all my life. What about you? Why do you blog? Why do you read blogs?

hard to hear story from our session last week: Barbies and Blogging:

Tuesdays Unwrapped

Tuesdays Unwrapped. Over at Chatting at the Sky my sister is busy not being busy. She's encouraging us to notice the small, unexpected real life that is right now.


This is my Tuesday {as it was my Monday too} a sick baby. I can call a 7 soon to be 8 year old a baby right? Plans for a funny, informative world changing, hot glued tutorial quickly change in the presence of a little boy who needs to snuggle.

What does your Tuesday look like?

***************

Don't forget--tomorrow's a Mr. Linky Party to share where we hung our feather and egg prints. I know this will be a smaller group but it will still be fun and inspiring! See you then--I'll have it up at 9am.

An Island Makeover:: A Guest Post

An inspiring guest post from my favorite blogger who also happens to be my sister, Emily from Chatting at the Sky. She is a writer and photographer who's always finding the holy in the midst of the mundane.

An island in the kitchen is a luxury. It is a place to gather, a place for the kids to play while mommy cooks the dinner, a place to prop your elbows up with friends over appetizers and cookies.

When we first moved into our home nine months ago, I was thrilled to finally have a kitchen with an island. It had a prep sink, which I was happy about. But that meant it also had less counter space.

There was no money to make a bigger one, and no room for that matter. Instead, we improvised and made a few adjustments for the island to feel a little more functional and pretty. First, we added six inches to the back edge of the counter and replaced the sink faucet.

As we lived with it, I grew tired of the orange-y wood color. We decided to paint the cabinets black. We had bead board added around the island and then, we painted it Sherwin Williams Navajo White (6126).

Now, our island is perfect for kids and cookies, elbows and blocks. If I decide to get even fancier, I can add those thingies underneath the counter to look like its holding it up but really its just there for looks. But for now, fancy can wait.


Granted, this project took a little more than a hot glue gun and high heeled shoe. But if you want to do a little kitchen sprucing without ripping the whole thing out and starting over, I am here to tell you what a difference it makes. I am so glad we did this during our first year in our home so now we can get full use of it. Thanks, sister, for cheering me on as I decided to have that island redone!

***

From The Nester: Thanks Emily. I love what a HUGE transformation you made just with paint, bead board and granite! Be sure to visit Chatting at the Sky for more inspiration in lots more categories than just house stuff . If you have the time and don't know her yet, a few of my personal favorite posts of hers are: Be More Do Less, Skates are From the Devil, The Now Dancer, Confessions, and The Office: A Makeover. Love you sister!

***
Some of you are asking about the post showing the redo of her previous kitchen enjoy!

Pssst!

Polls are now open!

Be sure to vote for Chatting at the Sky for Best Small Blog! I hope my sister wins in her category for the 2008 Weblog Awards. Thanks for voting--you can vote once per day.

Nester Swag

Hi again. It's still Emily. And I've got good news and bad news.

The good news is that it looks as though The Nester's computer can be saved. She has also discovered limited internet use thanks to her local library. But she doesn't have access to her photos yet, so can't post because it is against her religion to post without photos.

The bad news is that you are stuck with me, The Vice Nester (her words, not mine). I am just the messenger, the carrier pigeon if you will. But things should be back to their happy normal by Monday.

Over the years, my sister has perfected the fine art of nesting in her home and that has spilled over into my home. In other words, she gives me gifts. GIFTS, people. All those things she sells on Etsy? She makes those kinds of things and gives them to me. And then she apologizes because she didn't buy me a gift. Are you kidding me?
If there was ever a reason to have a baby, this is it: the baby garland. I remember the day I walked into her house and she had made one of these for the first time. I had not a clue in the world what it was or how it was to be used. I only knew I couldn't take my eyes off of it. It had to be mine. So when my son was born, she gave me one.
Isn't it lovely? It isn't only ribbons and fabric scraps all tied up together, although that would certainly be cute enough. She added this little blue car.

And then she added this sheep.
There are also lots of clippy things to hold photos, like this one.

Tired of blues? How about pinks? Here is the garland she made for the twins room.
More clippies for photos, too.
She also added extras to this one, like tiny treasures hidden in a scrappy pink sea.
Beads and buttons and be-still-my-heart. I just love these. Don't you just love these? I want one for every room of my house. I want to hang them from chandeliers and have them spilling out of vases. Love them.

I love all the sweet swag I score from the nest. Of The Nester. I sure can't wait 'til she gets back.

Hello Friends

Yesterday was my sister's birthday and I got to spend most of the day with her and my mom and have fun looking at stuff and for stuff for her new old house! It was the most fun ever! My favorite things all rolled into one glorious day. We even had some mocha chocolate cake from Maxie B's {remember, that bakery I helped redesign}? We even shopped at a REAL lighting store and picked out and purchased 3 much needed, perfect for her home, light fixtures. That was better than Disney World! Such fun! And since I charged my camera battery, packed my camera extra special and failed to even remove it from the car, and since I wouldn't dare write so many words without balancing it out with a few photos, here is not a photo of my beloved sister but, a photo of the beloved finished product of Maxie B's. Enjoy.


Also, yesterday and Monday y'all had some fantastic ideas about that garland! You girls do not waste a minute! Within hours of my post you were sending me emails and links and I am so in love with all of you! If you didn't read the comments from the garland post, it's worth the read because there are some great ideas! And, as usual, Tracey and Traci both keep me laughing!

Here's some of your ideas and some of mine for what we can do with that garland:

*put it on the end of a pillowcase
*put it on the edges of a decorative pillow
*use it as a centerpiece at a child's birthday party
*drape it around your chandelier
*start now, make a loooooong one, get a finger transplant and hang it {the garland not your fingers} on the tree at Christmas
*Tie that ribbon and fabric all over your flip flops
*wrap it around your diaper bag
*add it to your window mistreatment for one huge act of window abuse!
*and there were other's listed but, I'm too lazy to go read it again!

Also, I have tons of ribbon and fabric lying, laying around. I listed a starter kit on my etsy shop for the garland and it sold so by this afternoon I will list a few more coordinating kits if any of you want a jump start on this project. It is nice not to have to go to lots of different shops to get cute fabric that will look great together. And ribbon, I think I have an illegal amount. Talk to you later, and keep those ideas coming! Oh, and if you missed that post over at Blissfully D about what else you can do with ribbon, check it out!

Extra Extra Read All About Me

I forgot to try to trick y'all into going over to both Chic Critique {where my sister and I make complete fools of ourselves} and Blissfully Domestic where I lead you to some of my favorite blogs that always inspire me. I just know that you are dying to know every single thing I do, eat, and breathe. Can't you just not get enough of Me, Myself, and I?

But, if you click over there from here, it makes me look so wonderfully popular and then I feel all great about myself which in turn makes me want to blog more and ultimately, results in more creative and inspiring posts for you! See, so really if you go there, you get rewarded.

Shameless.

PS Because this is my blog and I can wreck it all up as I see fit, I am posting a cute photo that I just found of my two youngest boys. Have I ever told you that I had 3 boys in 3.5 years? These two are 12 months and 3 weeks apart. And this is the biggest snow that we got this year.

The Sale

I know that y'all are all ready for me to tell you about my obsession with metal barn stars and painting with a paper towel but, I've got to tell you about this past weekend's sale first. Tomorrow, I promise well have stars. Get your stars and paint and tacks ready!

It happens twice a year. My mom and I went to spend the night with my sister so we could be bright eyed and bushy tailed for the 10:00 am opening. Oh, look how ridiculously early we were! That's my sister with the cute bag.


We got in line--look how close to the front we were. We knew that deeply discounted fabric and trims were calling for us from within. There's the man that is the owner--I think--I also think I worried him with all of my picture taking. One year they put lots of fabric outside and had it roped off with caution tape and we all lined up and he came outside with a step ladder and megaphone to come tell us all the rules of how to play nice and not fight over stuff. I love caution tape mixed with sales.


This is where I dream about shopping for fringe.


This is where I actually shop for fringe.


I get really excited about a sale especially when it's not too organized. This one was organized but still exciting.


Look! There's Jenipher with the "ph"! She's busy cutting my sister's cheap fabric. Look how happy she is! She just LOVED that I took her picture!


Here's what I came home with. I won't dare tell you that I spent $189.23 on fringe alone. That would be embarasing and you might think me quite insane.


Heaven help me--I paid $16.88 per yard for that fringe? Wait, I feel so much better because it was $33 a yard, so I got it for a big discount. Phew, that was a close one!

I was running dangerously low on fringe. I only had this...


And this...
and this...
and about three more buckets. Talk about a close one.

It's all about me

If you aren't all ready totally, 100%, had it up to here sick of me, you will be after this:

I'm not writing today. I did a post about me and my big self guest posting over at Chic Critique the other day. I posted it late and it kept disappearing {because I'm a goofy goober--did anyone see the Sponge Bob movie} so I'm gonna talk about it again in case you missed it. I feel like I was a bad guest for not talking it up very good. If you want to read all about it click here. Here's a hint of the topic...Also, my sister and wrote about our weekend together at her blog Chatting at the Sky. She is not like me and really knows how to write. She spells good too. Poor thing, she has me to write about her and I get her to write about me. It's like that old riddle about being in a town with 2 barbers and one has a good haircut and one has a bad haircut and which one would you choose to cut your hair. The one with the bad haircut because he cut the other guys hair. I have the good haircut in this situation--only figuratively speaking. In real life, she has the good haircut!


Oh, and Tuesday's my day at Blissfully D. {I just fixed the link} I like calling it that because it reminds me of Sunny D. My sister thought that was a ridiculous idea and I think she rolled her eyes. It made me like it even more. I wrote about not matching your finishes in your home.

Window Mistreatment 101

Alert! If you are a perfectionist, real designer, drapery maker, or person who can't stand just winging it, please brace yourself and take a deep breath. This is not going to be easy for you to watch. Disclaimer: We have moved 13 times. In April, we will be married 13 years. I had to be creative when decorating.

This is the first post in a series of window mistreatments posts that I will post post haste. Just kidding. But it is the first of a series. And, we won't use all the tools today. I just wanted to show you my lover the hot glue gun {you'll see him when you keep reading. If you keep reading}.


It's no secret that fabric can complete a room and make it feel full and homey. It softens a space, adds personality and can add much needed color. If you have access to cheap fabric or extra fabric laying around this is an easy way just to get a window dressed. No, she's not dressed for the prom but, life's not full of proms.

This is the jeans and tee shirt way to treat your windows. But, it's the favorite jeans. The ones you've had forever and fit you great. They didn't cost much maybe they are from Target or borrowed from your sister and never returned. You know, the go to jeans. And we all know it's not just about the jeans, it's the whole package. No one really notices that they are a little threadbare in places. They are on, they fit, and they get the job done. And they highlight that darling blouse.


That's what this kind of window treatment is all about. Sometimes I think, if I took the time to do all the things a person is supposed to do to live correctly I wouldn't have time to live. I'd be too busy getting my oil changed, buying new A/C filters, flossing 3 times a day, cleaning my refrigerator once a week, buying fresh organic foods daily from the local farmer, changing the batteries in my smoke detector, volunteering, and other real important stuff.


I know how real window treatments should be made and lined and interfaced and weighted and hemmed and hung. And the finished product looks perfect. And costs a bundle. And makes you never want to move because the people who buy your house insist the rods, hardware and treatments must be part of the sale. But I have also figured out how to get windows dressed really fast and really cheap. If you're not afraid to stand barefoot on your kitchen counter and throw away your measuring tape you are welcome to join me. Just make sure you have some all purpose disinfectant on hand.

There are a few other things you need:

A hot glue gun {high or low melt} and glue sticks. This is old faithful.



Upholstery tacks
I cannot begin to tell you how essential these are to my evil ways. These are readily available at fabric stores, home improvement stores and wal-target places. They cost about $2 for 20.


Fabric that you love



Fringe that you have always wanted to use but didn't know how or where {we didn't use any on today's project but you sure could add it}



So, start collecting this stuff, we're in for some real fun!

Today we are gonna look at my sister's kitchen window treatment. Two weeks ago she said, "can we just do something to my kitchen window, I don't want it to be perfect, I just want it to be beautiful". If you can drink that kool-aid then your life is gonna change, sister!

She picked out this emily-esq fabric that was begging her to bring it home and make it pretty. It was a remnant from the end of a bolt. Maybe 2-3yards. It didn't matter, she loved it so we were gonna make it work. She paid about $10 for it.

We got to her house and she allowed me to take off my favorite shoes


and put my sweaty, sticky feet all over her fresh, new, clean granite. In her kitchen. Where she prepares meals for her family. She wanted it bad. After a few minutes of tinkering I decided to fold the fabric long ways. But, I'm too lazy to cut the fabric. This actually works to my advantage. It seems if you fold it, it is thicker and self-lining. Here's an example of folding it only with a smaller piece of fabric.

Longways

And Longways again



Maybe even again depending on how long you want it. This short measurement will be the how long your fabric hangs.


Then, pull up your favorite chair and hoist yourself up to wherever your window might be. Using an upholstery tack and brute force, or heel of a cute shoe, push the tack through the fabric and into the wall surrounding the window. Just eyeball where you want it. There's no wrong. You are only making a small hole so believe me, if you have to move it around 500 times, no one will know.


Now get you and your sassy self down and up to the other side of the window. Take the other top corner of the fabric and push another tack through the fabric into the wall. It's unfortunate that I do not have a photo here. Imagine a big letter 'U" with each end tacked to the top corner of the window and slack in the middle. That is what you want. Here's a close up of the tacks instead. How delightful they are!


If you want, when you are taking up this fabric you can fold the sides under about an inch or so to hide the rough edges. You'll know what I'm talking about once you try it. By the way this is my sister's tiny hand and size 3 fingers.


Now, get your bad self to the middle of the window, grab another tack and the center of the droopy fabric and tack that to the center of the wall above the window even with the other two tacks. Looking better. Do that again with the fabric finding the middle between two of the tacks that are up and again on the other side. You do not need to measure. Eyeball it, I insist. See? It looks kind of weird at first.



Until you play with it a little and pull out the in betweens. They just stay out like that on their own since the fabric is so thick from folding.


Here is the finished product. It's not perfect at all. We really should have ironed that fabric first! Now she has to steam it. And she can still fiddle with it if she wants the folds to be more balanced But, it sure is sweet and no one really looks up there and touches it and measures it and stuff. I'd say, it's beautiful.

The entire process should take less than 15 minutes. About 30 times less than it took me to do this post.