paper love, real life, blog love, and party shout-outs

What I really WANT to do is blog. And do decorating makeovers. And host parties. That's the fun stuff. What I find myself doing is a whole lotta other stuff. Like doctor appointments for my kids. Grocery shopping. Laundry. Packing for next week's vacation. Writing blog posts for other people's blogs. (What? Something's wrong with this picture.) Fulfilling card orders. (Okay, that can be considered fun...but it's still not actually blogging.) Watering my garden (sort of). Working in the yard (occasionally). Cleaning my house (half-heartedly). 

"happy" custom rhinestone notecard set from NestInk

All of that to say, I am missing my little blog. I wish I could write every day, but I seem to be in a season where real life is even more of a balancing act than normal lately. And what's cool about balancing Nesting Instincts (interior redesign business) with NestInk (custom stationery business) is that it seems whenever one is lagging, the other picks up the pace. It must be a God thing, because I certainly couldn't plan it that way.

I've had several large card orders lately...in other words, multiple sets of custom cards for the same customer. I even did some custom event invitations last week that were a lot of fun. I haven't gotten up the guts (or is it just the time?) to list things like that in my Etsy shop yet, but I'll get to it eventually. I do so love creating invitations that set the mood for an event. My client wanted something summery (but not too obviously summer, like flip-flops or something) so we chose the "Happy" pattern as the inspiration for the invitation. I thought they turned out cute and it just occurred to me that of course I forgot to photograph them for my blog. If I'm not careful, my blog will begin to feel horribly neglected and get her (she's a "her", of course)  feelings hurt and then start giving me errors when I try to post. Or stop uploading photos. Or something like that.

Angela's Ranch Redo  (The Painted House blog)

ANYWAY, in my current state of Bad Blog Author, I have at least continued reading and occasionally commenting on other blogs. One of my most favorite blog posts EVAH was this one from Angela at The Painted House. It's part of her series on "What Makes a Home Beautiful?" and it is so worth the read. It initiated a flurry of emails between Angela and I because she touched on a few things I'm fairly passionate about. Also, her whole blog is beautiful and worth reading, but I especially loved her recent post about updating the exterior of her ranch home. It is GOR-geous now.

Another site I recently discovered was The Grocery Shrink. I'm still a teeny tiny bit intimidated (okay, a lot intimidated) by the money-saving genius I've found there, but I'm baby-stepping it. Have been receiving her free emails on how to make my own cleaning supplies, which I may just start doing. I am still waiting on the email on how to make my own housekeeper. I'd even pay for that e-book!!

And last, but not least, a great BIG thank you to a few sites that have featured my parties recently:

my Dr. Seuss Party:
CafeMom.com blog, The Stir
Guest post at The Birthday Girl
Kinser Event Comapny blog

My "Baby Meet Orange" shower:

BumpSmitten.com (site is still under construction, I'll let you know when the feature goes live)

Anyway, if this hasn't been the most random of all blog posts! For those of you still reading (thanks, Mom) I hope you have a lovely rest of the week. Me, I'm getting ready for vacation...can I get a WOOHOO?? Trying not to get overwhelmed at the amount of work involved in getting three kids (one of them still a baby) ready for a week-long trip. Oy.

a big thank-you...and my own DIY list

Just a quick note to give a shout-out to two amazing blogs that featured my master bedroom makeover. Yesterday, I was featured on Better After, a blog that shows wonderful before-and-after photos of entire rooms or smaller projects. Today, my entire post about the bedroom makeover is featured at The DIY Show Off blog. It's a beautiful blog that shares before-and-afters, too, but gives a more in-depth look at the process the home-owner took to get from the before to the after. A big thank-you to both of these blogs!

And speaking of DIY, the other day I wrote down a list of all the projects around my house that are either half-finished, or haven't even begun yet. OY! It was a big list. I'm planning to tackle them all, one by one, and blog about the process. I can't believe I'm going to do this, but as a form of accountability for myself, I'm going to let you  have a peek at the list. Here goes nothin':

• paint hope chest
• hang curtain in upstairs bathroom (customize first...w/ ribbon? stencil? not sure)
• paint downstairs bathroom + woodwork
• put curtains or doors on nursery closet
• paint mirror above piano (did it once...school-bus yellow is not okay...will fix VERY soon!)
• re-decorate mantel for summer
• paint/upholster yard sale ottoman in my basement
• create clean & bright laundry room space...in my SCARY basement

That's enough for now. There are a few other things on the list, but I've gotta have a few secrets, right? I'm not exactly sure when I will be accomplishing these things, but sometimes I think that just writing them down is half the battle. For me, it puts these tasks in the forefront of my mind and helps give me direction when I have a free moment. And the energy to spare. Ha! (When do I ever have energy to spare? Does any mom?) So wish me luck!

fifty cent masterpiece

So do you like how I make a big announcement ("I'm back!!") and then promptly disappear for a couple of weeks? I just like to keep ya guessin'! On your toes! Well, I have been sooo busy, both with Nesting Instincts clients (yay!!) and with the rest of my real life. I've had so much fun with my clients, handing out opinions left and right (one thing I'm never short on)...but most of them are in the midst of larger, long-term redesigns as opposed to one-day jobs where I can take pictures. Because I know how much you all like a good before-and-after story. I do too! But unfortunately, those haven't been the kind of jobs I've worked on recently, so we will just all have to be patient while my clients do the hard work implementing some of my suggestions.  

But I have made it to a few garage sales recently. For those of us that live in Oregon, there is a definite (though unspoken) garage-sale season which will officially kick off after Memorial Day weekend. But, there have been several brave souls scattered about the city which have taken their fate (or at least the weather) into their own hands and offered their junk...I mean treasures...up for sale. I've nabbed a few of them recently.

At the top of this post is a cute little original oil painting, very nicely done I think, which I scored for...I'm almost embarrassed to tell you this...$.50. In case you get the decimal point mixed up, that's fifty CENTS.

Then, the chandelier in the box...Shiny Boring Builder's Special from 1989. Let there be no doubt, this is a BEFORE picture. I haven't had time yet to make it into an AFTER but I'm hoping I can soon. I can't decide whether to make this a "safe" re-do with white paint and crystals, or a "funky" re-do with...well, I won't tell you with what, but trust me...it would be funky. IF I could pull it off. Haven't decided yet...but it's for my dining room. Confession: there's still a gaping hole in the ceiling where the fan used to be before my big dining room makeover a couple of years ago.

Mostly, recently, I've been spending time with this little hearthrob:

and these two cuties:

but I did get to see her recently:

...and she was just as gorgeous and funny in person as she is in her cookbook and on her blog. The line was too long for me to wait for her to sign my book, so I just lurked for a while and shot this photo on the way to the restroom...just to prove that I was in the same room as the Pioneer Woman! (I know, my photojournalistic skills are...stunning.)

So there you have it, friends! I'm having fun, designing for friends and living life...but man, it's a busy time. Three kids, five and under...need I say more? But I'm not complaining. I feel blessed. Now if I could just get my own house in order! Ah well. That's what tomorrow's for. :-)

my weekend (or week-day!) must-reads...

my husband's photo, taken last spring...my photo-editing

I've been spending a lot of time gaining inspiration from the blogosphere lately. I've had sick kids all week and so while they watch more TV than usual, I've had a chance to be on the computer more than usual. I've been editing photos left and right...it's my new addiction...and reading blogs, which is an old addiction. Sometimes blogs can be sensory overload...one thing leads to another, leads to another...and before you know it you are deeply entranced in the personal writings of someone that you would never have the chance to rub shoulders with in real life. But suddenly you can read about what inspires them....you can see pictures of their most personal spaces...get recipes from their favorite foods...and hear their tips on photography. It's a pretty amazing thing when you think about it.

So, without further ado...and in no particular order...here are some of the things that have been inspiring to me lately. I hope you follow the links and check them out - although consider yourself warned - you will find CRAZILY creative people!

So I'm in love with The Pioneer Woman. She is truly a Jill of all trades and seems to be a master of all of them. She's a former city girl who fell in love with a cowboy. Now she lives on a ranch with her husband and four kids. The question is not, what does this woman do that is noteworthy?, but rather....what does she NOT do? She's recently written and published her own cookbook, she homeschools her four children, she is a seriously GIFTED photographer, a witty and entertaining writer. Seriously, people. If I were less of a person I would hate her. But I've chosen the path of love instead.

Have you heard of Amy Atlas? I've had her website in my bookmarks for about the last year and a half. How in the world did I miss the fact that she has a blog? Seriously. I went over there yesterday and spent a ridiculous amount of time drinking in the (literally!) eye candy. She creates high-end dessert tables that are so elegant and coordinated and look positively yummy. I think I gain a little bit of weight each time I look at them...but it's so worth it.

I just discovered Marianne from Songbird. She has a beautiful blog and is another one of those ridiculously talented women....ladies, she makes her own clothes. Gulp. And I'm not talking about how she wraps a piece of fabric around her body, toga-fashion. I'm talking cute, detailed, boutique-quality clothes. Oh, and curtains, and home decor, and...and...these plaster roses that I have totally fallen in love with. It actually looks easy enough for me to do. I WILL try these one day. Really, I will.

spotted on Etsy: Organic Baby Boots in green, by infusion

I also spend a lot of time window-shopping on Etsy. Some of you have asked how you can view my list of favorite things from other sellers on Etsy. If you go to my Etsy shop, you'll see a sidebar on the right. Scroll down the list of options, and "Favorites" is one of them. But, if you need me to hold your hand...here's the link. I'm considering going back to my "Friday's Fabulous Finds" posts because there is SO much handmade beauty and creativity out there, and I really like to spotlight artists and their work here.

Okay, if you stuck with me all the way through my wordy little brain-dump, thank you. And perhaps you should check your temperature. Fevers are going around, you know. :-)

House Tour Blog Party

I forgot to mention in my post below that Julia at Hooked on Houses is hosting a fabulous House Tour Party! I didn't get my act together in time to participate, but I thought I'd still send you all over there anyway, because it's going to be a lot of fun!

Grazie, Gracias, Merci...oh, and thank you!

poppiescape



Remember KA Compson? My super-talented artist of the month for July? Well, she was so delighted by our little correspondence that let me choose a print...any print...from her fabulous collection...which she then matted, framed, and shipped to me from the UK for free. Hello! This fabulous print is now framed, sitting on my piano in a place of honor. My husband, who dabbles in photography himself, was quite impressed with the quality of the photo. I think it's just lovely. I want to give KA a big shout-out and say a big "Thank you!". You all need to head to her Etsy shop now. :-)



Hooked on Houses


Then, Julia of Hooked on Houses...I'm not kidding you when I say that hers is just about my favorite blog and she's truly one of my favorite blogging women. She is genuine, warm, witty, and so personable...and her blog is the same! I think I've mentioned it before, but Hooked on Houses is so full of great content, you can tell Julia does her homework. Do you like peeking in people's windows when it's dusk and their lights are on inside? Do you like going to open houses even when you're not really in the market for a new home? Do you love house tours (like Portland's Street of Dreams) or guided walks through historic neighborhoods? Do you like to see how celebrities live and dream of paying 7 million dollars for a home? If you were honest enough with yourself to answer "yes" to any of these questions, then you will LOVE Hooked on Houses! She's a self-professed "real-estate junkie" and throws in plenty of decorating posts too. *Sigh!*



I not only tell you all of this to send you her direction immediately, but to say thank-you to Julia for sending me a "Major Award". She included me in her list of her five favorite blogs who got the award above. Woo-hoo! Thanks Julia!!

Next, I'm supposed to pass this award onto five other bloggers. This is difficult, because typically Julia would be at the top of the list to receive it. But, since I can't turn right around and give her gift back (bad form to return gifts, you know), I'll pick five other blogs for this award:


a beach cottage

at home redesigns

sanctuary arts (Jen's blog was recently hacked, her hard drive crashed, and her blog in general was lost; but, she's back up now with a slightly new address, so head on over and show your support, and be sure to add her new address to your blogroll! She is a queen of furniture makeovers and hand-painted details)

shorehouse chic

a soft place to land



I love each of these five blogs, not only for the pure content of the site, but the ladies behind them. They are genuine...funny...talented...and it's hard to believe I've never met any of them in real life. Please visit their sites and give them some "bloggy love"!

A Major Award

I won! I won!

What, you ask? This fabulous award from the equally fabulous Jen at Sanctuary Arts. I consider Jen to be the Queen of Furniture Makeovers, so when she created this award and sent it to five people, including me (for my dining room makeover), I had to smile. Me? Ladies, when you see some of the other furniture makeovers she included and awarded, you will be so inspired and amazed, you just may rush outside with paint brush or spray can before you even finish your coffee.

I am supposed to pass it on to one person. The first person that came to mind was Kimba of A Soft Place to Land. She even does Furniture Rehab Tutorials! But, she's already one of the original five that is getting the award straight from Jen. Sooo... the next person I immediately thought of to give this award to was Marie at Watch the Wind Blow By for her lovely makeover of a dining room/kitchen hutch. Here's the before and here's the after. It's a piece with great bones that just needed a little paint and a little lovin' and voila! it's got a new life and a new identity.

Thanks again to Jen for this fun award. You know, it's ironic that I was already thinking about furniture makeovers. In fact, as I'm working away on my e-zine (nevermind that I'm a whole week behind) I had already written an article on furniture makeovers. I guess great minds think alike! Oh, and if you're on my e-zine list...well...it's coming...really, it is... :-)

thank you Today's Creative Blog!

Can you feel the love? I know I can!! I got home from dinner last night...after a day of...shocker...no posting...only to find that Kim from Today's Creative Blog had found me and posted all about Nesting Instincts on her site, labeling NI as Today's Creative Blog and sending tons of lovely people my way. She had been talking with an old friend of hers on the phone...who happens to be a wonderful friend of mine, too...and the connection was made. You'll have to check out her site...not only is there a long post singing the praises of the Nesting Instincts blog (thank you!), but it is a resource that is full to the brim of creative, inspiring blog features and links. I will now be proudly sporting a lovely blinky from Kim and joining the ranks of many other wonderful and creative bloggers. Thank you so much!

these flowers are for Kim - well, okay, they're just the ones on my front porch...but it's the thought that counts!

If you are one of Kim's many, many visitors, new to my blog, here are a few things you might want to check out:

- my signature interior redesigns (with room before-and-afters)

- my Friday's Fabulous Finds posts (featuring my favorite Etsy shops & artists)

- or just start reading and browse all the miscellaneous goodies in between!

thank you design*sponge!

my dining room "after"

Whoa! I've been blown away! I was so honored when Grace of design*sponge featured my dining room makeover in her before-and-after section today. I knew her blog was big and wildly popular, but I never fully understood how big until now: I've had well over 600 visitors from her site today alone...and the day's not over yet. Gulp. I'm scrambling, wishing I could offer each visitor some ice tea or cookies or something. Did I properly dust the place? (No.) Do I at least have makeup on? (Does mascara - only - count?) Well, I warmly welcome each and every one of my visitors and invite you to come again. And many thanks to Grace...her blog is a force to be reckoned with...I check in frequently and now, to have been featured there...well, I'll be going to sleep happy tonight. :-)

Party-Time Tuesday - Anatomy of a Party

Welcome to the fourth (and final) post in my Party-Time Tuesday series! It was supposed to only run in the month of May, but I skipped last Tuesday, so we're a week behind. Anyway - I'll still talk about all aspects of party planning in the future - not to worry - it just won't be limited to Tuesdays. I gotta have my freedom, man!

I was honored to be asked to be a guest blogger for the week over at Peppers & Pollywogs! This is a great children's party planning website, with all kinds of tips, ideas, and resources for planning great celebrations for your child. I chose to write on "Anatomy of a Party", and each day I this week, I'll post about different aspects of the party planning process (along the lines of Party-Time Tuesday, come to think of it). I'll also include some of my favorite stores and online resources for party supplies, food, & favors. Definitely check out my articles each day this week, but be sure to browse around the rest of the site too, because you're sure to find some great inspiration for parties there! Owner and founder Lisa Kothari has also written a book called Ask Peppers & Pollywogs which gives a lot of great ideas and answers some common questions parents have when planning parties. It's affordable and a good resource to have on hand.

Precious Style's Cutest Cupcake Contest

Remember these cupcakes? I entered them into Precious Style's Cutest Cupcake Contest, just for fun. Blogger Marcia has five entries of cute cupcakes, some edible, some not, and she's asking that readers vote for their favorite. So head over there and check them out! (You don't have to vote for mine - honestly, it's not the cutest, in my opinion - just vote! Why not?)

inspirational reading list

Do you work at a 9 to 5 job, but have a yearning inside to be doing something else? Something creative? Something more, you? Do you love art, music, design, writing, or anything else that is not the "typical" career? Are you making perfectly good money, but unhappy at your job? Are you a stay-at-home mom that is itching to be creative (and possibly make money doing it)? Then I suggest you spend some time this weekend and read the inspirational series that Holly over at Decor8 has been featuring called What to Do When You Don't Know What To Do. Holly is not only inspirational in the design sense, she's also a genuinely nice person that cares about other people and wants to see them succeed. That genuine desire comes out in her blog, with this series being a perfect example.


She's been interviewing a series of people who have stepped out in the design world to pave their own way; in many cases, to be self-empoloyed; many who left the "9 to 5" to pursue their own personal dreams. Many others were able to find their calling within corporate America. While the interviews have a bent towards design, there are concepts that are universal to anyone who is trying to decide what to do...questions like, how do I know what my dreams even are? What did I love to do as a child? I realize that I'm a creative person and so this kind of thing really appeals to me; but even you left-brained folks may enjoy reading through this series. There are so many nuggets of wisdom that are worth digesting.


There are a lot of interviews, so bookmark it and start diving in over the weekend. It's almost a mini-book. I plan on going back to re-read it more in depth when I get a second. It's worth it.


Images:
photos 1 & 2, Holly Becker for Decor8
photo 3, House to Home via Restyled Home

decorating dilemma? ask the experts...

photo from Taverne Agency via Renovate + Decorate

As Germfest '08 continues in my household, I'm left with little time or energy for blogging. But I can't leave you without at least a little short post for the day, so I thought I'd send you the way of a friend of mine. Belinda is a website editor for the Australian magazine Real Living, and she writes a fun blog called Renovate + Decorate which I like to check in on frequently. Today's post asked readers to submit questions about decorating dilemmas. She will choose a few questions, run them by a panel of experts, and your question (and their answer) may be included in a feature she's writing for the Real Living website next month. Fun, huh? So head on over and submit a question. This could be your chance for fame and fortune and...well, perhaps that's exaggerating slightly. But it is a good chance to have your burning question answered by more than one expert. And that's cool.

Three Delightfully Random Tidbits

Hello my friends! Okay, I'm trying to act nonchalant...but of course you know by now I'm not good at that...so do you see the new little logo I'm sporting in my upper-right-hand corner? Yep, it's the Delightful Blogs logo. I'm now included in the "design" section of their lovely little directory, and I'm tickled pink to be there (seeing as how it was one of my goals when I began blogging frequently just a few short months ago). This directory is a lot of fun, because not only am I listed with some other pretty wonderful blogs (decor8, design*sponge, Hostess with the Mostess, to name a few) but you - yes, you, dear reader - have the opportunity to cast a vote and rate my site. >begin shameless plug<>end shameless plug<

(Thanks for putting up with me. :-) )

**Edited to add: this is SO embarrassing...but as I was clicking around on Delightful Blogs...I accidentally rated my own site. Then, as if that wasn't silly enough, I gave it the lowest possible rating. HA! Serves me right for clicking around like a bull in a china shop. So now I really need you to rate my site because my OWN rating lowered my score. Now really, I promise I do have at least a small amount of intelligence...I just have my moments. :-) **

Next happy tidbit: check out pics, then read below...

before...

after...images via Hooked on Houses

For those of you who have a gigantic, dated mirror in your bathroom and have no idea how to either get rid of it or make it a little less ugly, you need to read Julia's post at Hooked on Houses about Mirror Mates. It's a solution that is cheaper than hiring a professional to come and remove your old mirror (and then, of course, purchase a new mirror or two to replace it). Of course, if you are handy (I am not) or have a very handy person who lives with you (I do not) you could have them create mouldings for your mirror. But I digress. You could also just order what you need from Mirror Mates.

And for our last happy tidbit: Do you ever have to host a baby shower and don't know what games to play? You feel obligated to play SOME game, because the baby-shower-fairy wills it, but what game? And how cheesy does it have to be? Well, BabySmarts is apparently a non-cheesy game you can play at a baby shower. I found this product on the Stem blog (blogger Amy is an event designer). I've got a few showers coming up myself and may consider investing in this. For $16.95 it's pretty reasonably-priced and apparently not cheesy at all. (Perhaps you love the cheese - in which case this could be a drawback - for me, it's a selling point.)

warm fuzzies

Thank you so much to Jen of Sanctuary Arts, who awarded me this lovely blogland award! It was too sweet! I am supposed to turn around and award it to ten other bloggers, even if they've already received it, so here goes...these are some of my all-time favorites, definitely worth a read!

Julia at Hooked on Houses, Tracey at Notes from a Cottage Industry, Kari & Kijsa from Kari & Kijsa, Monica at m&co, Shauntelle at A Beautiful Abode, Claudia at The Paris Apartment, Belinda at Renovate + Decorate, Jen at The Cottage Nest, Linda at Restyled Home, and of course, Melissa at The Inspired Room.

I'll be back later today with another little post. For now, enjoy your day!

A Very Good Day

Today was a good day. *sigh* A very good day. I just returned from a morning of much-needed retail therapy. I spent part of my morning at Crate & Barrel where I bought several plates from this set, which I first spotted on the Hostess With the Mostess blog...

image via Hostess With the Mostess

...and three cute little Lucy vases...all of which are inspiring the theme for a little brunch I'm planning for a few friends around Mother's Day. So needless to say, I was already having a great day...






Then, I discovered - quite to my surprise and delight - that one of my favorite blogs in the whole world did a feature on one of my parties!! Yep, that's right - Hostess With the Mostess - which is a daily read for me - and helped inspire this morning's retail therapy - included pics from the party I threw for my daughter's 3rd birthday in her feature about parties for kids. Remember the one with the Elmo theme, which I posted about here? See her cute photo collage of my pics above, and check out her article! Thanks so much for the shout-out, HWTM! I am so honored!!

head to A Beautiful Abode

We are all sick in this house, for yet another day (will it ever end?) and so just a quick post for today. One of my favorite new blogs, A Beautiful Abode, is written by someone I consider to be a new friend and kindred spirit - finally, someone who cares as much about decorating and good design on a budget as I do! Shauntelle is a fairly new blogger, like myself, but she has a fabulous blog that I definitely want my readers to check out and add to your "must read" list.

Today she featured an interview with someone who is not a designer but probably should be. Regardless of your decorating style, she has lots of great tips for saving money while designing or redesigning a room. Be sure to check it out!