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Monday, April 30, 2012

My Giveaway Over At Le Chateau des Fleurs

Just wanted to give all my bloggy buddies a heads up that I am sponsoring a giveaway over at Le Chateau des Fleurs with the lovely Isabelle.  I am offering a choice of one of three items from my Etsy.

No. 1

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No. 2

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No. 3

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Good luck to all who enter!

A Treat From WUSLU

After seeing several bloggers {mostly Kelly and Kim ~ thank you, ladies!} getting things from WUSLU {which is now known as Décor Steals}, I went over and signed up.  Of course, I placed an order, too.   As a “thank you”, I was sent a couple of other deals to choose from and these wire cloches were one of them {I added that bird tag}.

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Well, having been on the look-out for wire cloches for over a year now, and at a great price, I snapped these up right away!   I believe it was $24.95 for the two of them.  The larger size is huge! I had to think where I could put them so that I could enjoy seeing them everyday.  I decided on this chest in our dining area.  This is what it looked like before I moved things around.

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Since we put the wine cabinet I spoke about getting from the PB outlet next to this chest, and since I still love my wine cork cloche, I just moved it to the top of the wine cabinet.  I thought that they suited each other considering it’s, you know, wine and wine corks.

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I put the larger wire cloche where the wine cork cloche had been and the smaller in the middle on top of a decorative book.  I realized my bird clock from Pier 1 fit right in with this scheme since there are birds on the top of the wire cloches, too. I love when things work out that way. 

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I used my second “thank you” offer ~ a nest and eggs from an assortment of large sized nests under the big one, although I think I’m going to find a topiary to put under there.  Update: I’ve already ordered one from Nancy in a brown and cream transferware, which I love.

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Unfortunately, these nests are so big they will not fit under the smaller wire cloche, so I just put a little faux succulent arrangement in that one for now.  I think some moss or boxwood balls would look good, too.

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I am loving these and was happy with the price!

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Off to the side by the lamp is my little cloche from Antique Farmhouse.  The base matches the color of the wire cloches.

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Loving the new look and I got two new tabletop displays out of the deal!

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Linking up with

Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Saturday, April 28, 2012

The Finished Cornhole Game & A Winner

Since I whined and moaned about making the cornhole bags for the cornhole game my hubby made for his “day of fun” for work, I thought I’d share the finished project with you.  I showed you the bags I cut, sewed and filled with corn here

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On Sunday we got the paint and painted the platforms/boards he made.  Here they are in progress.

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We used Rustoleum oil based enamel paints {as per the instructions he found online}.  We used vinyl letters and numbers from Michaels to do the personalization for their district {he’s in retail and you can see who he works for here}.  The enamel should be better for wear and tear.

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For anyone like me who has never heard of this game, here are just some of the rules according to the American Cornhole Association {yup, there’s an association and everything}.  Apparently, it gets quite involved.

RULE 5 - PLAY OF THE GAME

Section C. Value Of The Corn Bag -
1. Corn Bag In-The-Hole - A corn bag in-the-hole (or Hole-In) is a corn bag which is thrown through the hole in the cornhole platform or otherwise comes to rest inside the cornhole platform (knocked in by another player or an act of God). A corn bag in-the-hole has a value of three points.
2. Corn Bag In-The-Count - A corn bag that is not in-the-hole but lands with any portion of the corn bag resting on the cornhole platform is in-the-count. A corn bag in-the-count has a value of one point. For a corn bag to be in-the-count, it must not touch the ground or any other portion of the court prior to coming to rest on the cornhole platform. If a corn bag touches the ground before coming to rest on the cornhole platform, it is a foul and must be removed from the cornhole platform prior to the continuation of play.
3. Corn Bag Out-Of-The-Count - A corn bag which comes to rest anywhere except in-the-count or in-the-hole is out-of-the-count and has no scoring value. A corn bag which is declared to be a foul is considered to be out-of-the-count (no matter where it comes to rest) and must be removed from the cornhole surface prior to the continuation of play.
Section D. Delivery Of Corn Bags -
1. In doubles play, the first side of contestants alternate pitching corn bags until they have thrown all four corn bags, then the remaining contestant (pitching from the other cornhole platform) continue to alternate in the same manner until all four corn bags are delivered and the inning completed. Delivery in singles play is handled in the same manner (but from the same platform) with each of the two contestants alternating their pitching of corn bags until all four corn bags have been pitched completing the inning.
2. A contestant may deliver the corn bag from either the left or right pitchers box (see above) but, in any one inning, all corn bags must be delivered from the same pitcher’s box. A contestant shall pitch the entire tournament with the same hand or arm, except in the case of a medical emergency.
3. Each individual contestant shall deliver the corn bag within 20 seconds. The time shall start when the contestant steps onto the pitcher’s box with the intention of pitching.

So, there you have it ~ the cornhole game!

Now, onto the winner of the Pick Your Plum Giveaway! It’s a shame only 18 people entered this giveaway for $75.00 worth of merchandise from Pick Your Plum, but all the better odds for those that did enter! 

The winner ~ chosen via random.org ~ is

Marilyn from Tarnished Rose!

Congratulations, Marilyn! Please send me your mailing information and I will let the Pick Your Plum people know, so your package can be on its way!

My last giveaway for April is up and it’s from Cutting Edge Stencils!

Friday, April 27, 2012

The Youngest Jeanne d’ Arc Reader

I couldn’t resist sharing this picture I took of my granddaughter yesterday; she really had me laughing over this. 

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She was going through the magazines I have on my coffee table, pulled out the Jeanne d’ Arc Living, climbed up in my black and white chair {after throwing the pillow on the floor, of course} and proceeded to look intently at whatever page she was on.

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I believe she may be their youngest reader!

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They left for a visit to New York at 3:00 a.m.  Can you tell I’m going to miss her?

Update: They put her on their Facebook page!

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Beautifying The Bathroom & A Giveaway

This is our main bathroom. 

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Kind of oddly shaped, a good size though.  I had this one wall that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or add to it.  I have to remember that I have the linen closet door to contend with.  This bathroom has no window either, so anything to “lighten” things up is helpful.  {I did lighten and brighten the pictures in Photoshop otherwise they were too dark to post}.

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I decided to stencil this wall and I went with the Kerry Damask stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils.  Leaving the walls the gray color they were when we moved in, I used a flat white to give this wall some interest.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed, because the previous owner did not leave me any paint for touching up.   

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I decided that rather than do the whole wall in an all-over pattern, I did the stencil as a stripe down part of the wall.  I measured for the  middle of the wall and then positioned the stencil at the top.  I used the level that came with it before I taped the two bottom corners.

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I used a foam roller and tray, and used blue painter’s tape to hold the stencil in place.  I held my breath until I removed the first one.

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Then I continued on down the wall.

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I also decided that I would put it on the seat of the stool I keep on this wall {and that I painted Paris Grey a few months ago}.  I thought it made this little stool a little more interesting, too, plus I like the way it lines up with the stencil on the wall.

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It took me about 30-45 minutes to do from start to finish and that included the time for me to get my supplies in the bathroom and set up.

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Gabi over at Cutting Edge Stencils was wonderful and gave me tips and instructions.  She also let me know they have this great instructional video to view for assistance, which I found very helpful. I got everything I needed {except for the paint and blue tape}, from Cutting Edge Stencils, including a level.   Here’s the requisite glam shots!

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I purchased a different damask stencil to do an area near our front door and I hope to get started on that soon. I’m liking the interest it adds to the bathroom and how the white ties in with the white fixtures, door and moldings.

This giveaway has ended.

Cutting Edge Stencils* has offered to give away to one of my readers a stencil of their choice {limit of $50.00, shipping not included}. So generous! 

To enter this giveaway please visit the Cutting Edge Stencils website and leave me a comment letting me know which stencil you like best.  You do not have to have a blog to enter, but you do have to leave me an email address to contact you should you win.

For additional entries:

  • Blog about or post this giveaway on your sidebar, come back and let me know in a separate comment;
  • Tweet about this giveaway, come back and let me know in a separate comment;
  • Like Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook, come back and let me know in a separate comment.

This giveaway will run through May 4, 2012, midnight EST.  Winner will be chosen via random.org and will have 48 hours to confirm after notification or a new winner will be selected.

This giveaway has ended.

Linking up with

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On The Porch

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Swing Into Spring at DIY by Design

*I received a stencil to use to aid in conducting this review. 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Look What I Got!

Have you been following along with Amy at Maison Décor and her shop series? Amy is fulfilling a lifelong dream ~ and I am living vicariously through her and the posts on her new shop.  Last week she showed these in one of her posts. {The next two pictures are from Amy’s blog}.

crowns

Love ‘em! I’ve been looking for something that I can use as a crown over the bed in the master and hadn’t seen anything I liked until I saw Amy’s post.  They are both lovely, but I got this one. You have to see how Amy dressed up the one I didn’t pick for her shop! Gorgeous!

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I told Amy I'd be interested if and when she is ready to sell them.  Amazing Amy {who seems so tireless} got right back to me and I bought it within 24 hours of her post! She shipped it right out to me ~ even with everything she’s got going on right now.  If you didn’t know it before, then you can know it now, that her customer service is obviously top notch!

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Now I just need to find some fabric for it to go with our master.  Keeping in mind that the walls are beige and I don’t want the fabric to blend in, I’m thinking to go a similar way to what Amy did either using this ticking with ties. 

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Or ~ I found a picture of a toile very similar to one I already have ~ in a color called Cypress.  I probably have enough to do a ruffled valance type piece for the front.  The Cypress color seems to go very well with the Duck Egg Blue color I have in this room.  I do love this toile!

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Do I do tie on panels alone or tie on panels and a ruffled valance?  Here are some pictures I found for inspiration.

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Bedrooms

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{These are all on my Pinterest board with sources}

I’m liking the simplicity of the panels with ties and I like toile over ticking {if I had to make a choice}.   What do you think?  What would you do if it were your room {as far as fabric for the crown}?  Here are some pictures of our bedroom.

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Don’t forget my Pick Your Plum giveaway going on through midnight tonight! This is for $75.00 worth of swag! You can see some pictures of previous giveaway items on that blog post.

 

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