An "Inspirations" Giveaway!

About 4 weeks ago I had happened upon a magazine, "Celebrate" by Phyllis Hoffman, while waiting to check out at my local Michael's craft store. It was the fall edition, and I loved it. I immediately subscribed to the quarterly publication. I wasn't sure when the subscription would kick in, so when I saw the "Celebrate" Halloween edition a couple weeks ago I couldn't resist... see my blog entry on 9/10/09, it's a problem. This Halloween focused magazine has fabulous articles featuring Matthew Mead and Amy Atlas, along with loads of creative decorating and cooking ideas. Imagine my surprise this week when I received another copy in the mail! Now I have two, and really... as much as I love Halloween magazines, I do not need two. So I now hope to make my over-abundance your Halloween inspiration!


So here it is folks! This is the time of year ghouls and goblins all come out of the shadows, so time for any mysterious blog lurkers to come out of the dark as well... otherwise, Corinne, my faithful reader... you're a shoe-in for my first ever blog giveaway!

There are two ways to enter (and if you do both, your name goes in twice!) Here is what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment no later than Tuesday, October 6th at midnight.
2. Become a follower of "All my little inspirations" by Tuesday, October 6th at midnight (anyone already a "follower" will automatically be entered! Yay!

I will select at random and announce the winner Wednesday. You should have your brand new "Celebrate Halloween" magazine in the mail in a week!

Good Luck!

A New Cake Stand

I went to the farmer's market on Saturday, as there are only a few more left before we must wait until next year rolls around. While wandering about, I happened to end up in the "craft" section, honest mistake, really. I came across a booth full of lovely little cake stands, all different sizes, heights and types.

Upon further inspection and discussion with the crafter, it turned out that these adorable and wide variety of cake stands are simply plates adhered to a glass candlestick.... some new, some vintage.

Um... stinking cute, and I had cash burning a hole in my pocket... so, after MUCH review, here is what I went home with:

Now. If you are somebody who typically receives a plate or tin or basket of Christmas goodies from me... don't be too surprised if this is what it is delivered on this year. I can't wait to go "plate hunting" for the makings of my perfect cake stand gifts. I think the biggest challenge will be figuring out what adhesive to use.

Now, how in the world can I improve upon this already clever design? Hmmmm... let me think. How, oh how, can I make this cake stand even more perfect? OH! I know!.....

chocolate, caramel, ooey, gooey brownie goodness

Project: Dining Chairs

I recently decided that what I really needed was some new adorable dining chairs. I knew I could find some chairs easily and cheaply someplace. I wanted some that could be painted white, and have the seat cushions re-covered with my favorite Heather Bailey fabrics. Within a few weeks of deciding this... on a drive home, I found some. Right in my own neighborhood! As we drove by I saw them with a box sitting atop shouting at me "FREE". It was a nice evening, so after dinner I buckled the 2 year old into his stroller, and away we walked... time to check out the chairs. As I got to the chairs, I realized the box atop declaring "FREE" actually contained lots of mason jars. Hmmmm. Is it the chairs or the mason jars that are free? Well, I could see somebody sitting in the living room and decided, instead of just assuming and taking items from my neighbors, I would just inquire. I knocked at the door and could almost immediately see the mistake I made. A man's voice gruffly yelled from inside "Get back, get back" while a little dog barking could be heard. Oh. He opened the door, and no sooner did I begin to ask him then a little dog snuck between his legs and ran past me into the yard. "Oh goddammit" he yelled. Oops. Several minutes of chaos ensued, causing his wife to emerge and assist. Finally the dog was corralled and calm again.
"So sorry... just wondering about the chairs" I asked.

"Honey, do you want the chairs?" the woman asked me, slightly exasperated.

"Yes, Please" I reply.

"Go ahead and take the chairs".

"OK"

I get back home and hubby asks, "So, how were they". Great... then I tell him the story.

"I don't think I can go back for them, I am SO embarrassed"

"You had BETTER go get them!"

So I did... and I am glad I did because I think they turned out pretty nice. I sanded them down, primed them, painted them white and every so slightly "shabbied" them with some sanding paper, then covered them with some new fabric. I can't convince hubby that we should paint the dining table white to match (opposites attract... I love painted wood, he loves natural wood) so, instead I invested in a white tablecloth (Shabby Chic line from Target).

Before:

In Progress:

Old Chippy Scale #2

My dear sister-in-law is entertaining the two year old on the farm this weekend, so that I can get our guestroom, well... guestroom-able again. On a trip to Lowe's for some shelving units I convinced hubby it was a good idea to stop at the local antique store since we didn't have the monster of destruction with us. I found this little beauty and couldn't resist! Since I bought the last old chippy scale, I have craved another... don't they look so happy together? I even gave scale #2 some berries (don't worry....faux berries here) to keep him company. Hmmm.... can I fit a third scale up there? Collections ARE better in three's, right?

Project: Stained Glass Window

An old "found treasure" was re-invented in our home this week. When we lived in our old house this hung in our kitchen window. I loved it to pieces... but in our new home, there just wasn't a place for it. All our windows had blinds installed making it hard to find a spot to hang nicely , and it really needed to be hung in a window so the light could shine through it and display it at its very best.

About a year ago we had all new windows installed and the blinds went back up everywhere, but the kitchen, but still the stained glass sat in a lonely corner. I had other plans to hang it in our bedroom when just a couple weeks ago, while trying to fall asleep (isn't that when all the best ideas come to us?)... DUH! I can hang it in my kitchen window again, and even better... the colors of the window are nearly exactly the colors in my kitchen! Reds and greens! Brilliant!

So finally... my antique stained glass window has a home again!

A Good Reminder!

Oh dear readers, please spare yourselves the potential heartache and credit card debt that may ensue at the Issaquah shop, Urbanity. I made the mistake of going in to find a gift for a friend... and found mostly things for myself. I may have to take darling hubby with me next time, so I can explain exactly why we need so many of the things in her shop.

This plaque, however, spoke to me and I could not turn my back on it. It's message was a powerful reminder to me as to just what is really important in life. I hung it by my bathroom mirror, so every morning and every night I can read it and remember.... and the fact that it goes so perfectly with my black and white bedroom/bathroom doesn't hurt things. I added some ribbon (slight ribbon obsession here) and viola!

The message reads:

To laugh often, to win

the affection of children,

to earn the appreciation of

honest critics and endure

the betrayal of false friends,

to appreciate beauty, to

find the best in others, to

leave the world a bit better, whether

by a healthy child, a garden patch...

to know even one life

has breathed easier because

you have lived.

This is to have succeeded!

-Emerson

Project: Faux Tin Walls for the Kitchen

About a year ago, I painted our kitchen... a cranberry red and white. I left one space unpainted, and purchased some faux tin panels to put up. A year later... I finally got around to getting them up. Hubby took the 2 year old on an "adventure" so I could get it done. I cleared away everything from the counter tops (allowing me to also clean up the counters and appliances! Nice!)

Before:

I will not be including any extreme close up's, as it is quite clear, I am not a professional. In fact... it is so far from perfect that it is a good thing we have so much on our counter tops!

A couple weeks ago I also picked up a neat old Swedish (?) scale at an antique store in Cashmere, WA. It is pretty neat, and I had been wanting one for awhile.

Floral Frog + Wire Egg Basket

Over the weekend, I made a trip to the local antique store "Bad Girls Antiques" to pick up a very "shabby chic" rose print I had seen the weekend previous. I kept thinking about it, and decided to go ahead and get it. Well, once I was there, I couldn't help looking around for any other treasures that might be hiding out. At the check out desk, there was this very interesting basket. An antique egg/fruit basket. I had a hard time thinking what I could do with it... but still got it. What the below picture does not show is how it can be moved into so many shapes. It can be tall and skinny, or fat and round... ideally you could snugly keep your eggs safe by molding the basket as needed.

Now, I don't really need to contain eggs... but I do like to keep flowers in the house when I can. So I had the idea... a bowl with a floral frog tucked into this basket would be sweet. And now, I have this sitting on my dining table, right beside me. My favorite flowers, peonies, filling the air with the most lovely scent. So happy.